01-24-2020, 09:21 AM
https://www.tomshardware.com/news/intel-...ge-layoffs
Quote:Intel says that it continues to suffer from shortages that have hindered its sales in the desktop PC segment, but noted that it had invested record levels of capex in 2018 and 2019 to address the issue. That ultimately resulted in a "double-digit" increase in production capacity in the second half of 2019 (compared to the first half).
Intel plans to increase its 10nm and 14nm wafer capacity by 25% in 2020, but said demand remains high. That means the shortage will persist until the second half of the year when Intel can begin to fully restore supply of its "small-core" processors (i.e., the low end processors that have suffered as Intel focuses on assuring supply of larger and more profitable models).
Intel says its 10nm yields are "above expectations," which has become a familiar refrain from the company. Intel CEO Bob Swan touted that nine products built on the 10nm process will come to market in 2020, including Tiger Lake, the company's first discrete GPUs, Snow Ridge, ASICs for AI workloads, and Xeon processors. On the latter, Swan reiterated that the company will begin producing Ice Lake processors in the first half of the year, with volume shipments commencing in the second half of 2020. In either case, Swan still tempered expectations for the 10nm node, saying that 14nm would still consist of the majority of the company's shipping processors throughout 2020.
Intel is also already investing heavily in 7nm production and will continue that investment throughout 2020 and into 2021. Swan also noted that the 7nm Ponte Vecchio GPUs are on track for the fourth quarter of 2021. Ponte Vecchio will serve as the lead vehicle for the 7nm node, so it could be 2022 before we 7nm desktop processors come to market.