In a report published by TrendForce, we received our second confirmation that Intel’s tGPU for 14th Gen Meteor Lake CPUs, which is expected to use TSMC’s 3nm process node, has been delayed for volume production until late of 2023.
Intel’s 3nm tGPU Mass Production Delay Hinders TSMC, Meteor Lake 14th Gen Postponed To Late 2023?
It was previously rumored that Intel might be pushing its 14th Gen Meteor Lake CPUs until the end of 2023 and it seems we are getting similar reports from Trendforce sources close to Taiwanese chipmaker TSMC. It is reported that Intel initially planned to have the mass production of the tGPU (Tile GPU) featured in the 14th Gen Meteor Lake CPUs starting in the second half of 2022. Later, it was delayed until the first half of 2023 due to product design and process. verification issues, but now, we might be seeing even more lag.
According to TrendForce research, Intel plans to outsource the tGPU chipset in Meteor Lake to TSMC for manufacturing. Mass production of this product was initially planned for the second half of 2022, but was later postponed to the first half of 2023 due to product design and process verification issues. Recently, the product mass production schedule was again postponed to the end of 2023 for some reason, almost completely canceling the 3nm production capacity originally reserved in 2023 and only a marginal amount of wafer input remains for verification of engineering.
However, the state of development of Intel’s own Intel 4 process and the accompanying outsourcing situation remain important potential growth drivers for TSMC. If Intel 4 fails to mass-produce on schedule, Intel may outsource its computing tiles to TSMC, which will strongly drive growth in 2024. However, if Intel’s process goes smoothly, there is a chance that the company decides to manufacture related products by itself and cancel TSMC’s orders.
via TrendForce
Based on the latest data, TSMC may not start mass production on Intel’s 3nm tGPU until late 2023. A report last month from Digitimes said similar things. Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger was said to personally visit TSMC to correct course on its outsourcing plan with the Taiwanese chipmaker. Since Intel was a major 3nm customer, a delay could hurt and slow down TSMC. Although there are other major 3nm vendors like Apple, AMD and Qualcomm, their products are not expected to start production until 2024.
It’s also highlighted that Intel’s own “Intel 4” compute node may have some issues and if it doesn’t produce viable volume for Meteor Lake CPUs, Chipzilla might reconsider outsourcing other IPs, such as Compte Tile, to TSMC as well. That could help TSMC grow revenue further, but based on Intel’s recent claims, it appears progress is being made on its internal compute node and it’s showing good results, but we’ll see as we enter 2023.
We are building on Alder Lake’s leadership with Raptor Lake in the second half of this year and Meteor Lake in 2023, exemplifying how our innovative design decisions can drive leadership performance even before reinstating the best transistor technology in its class.
And in 2023, we will deliver our first disaggregated Intel 4-based CPU, Meteor Lake, which is showing good health both in our lab and our customers’ lab.
Yes. Maybe while we’re quickly going through five nodes, Intel 7 ready, volume shipments, we said five nodes, four years, Intel 7, 35 million units, you can smash one. I’m sure our competitors have it stripped down and done. Intel 4, right, we said, well, Meteor Lake, it looks good right now.
Pat Gelsinger, CEO of Intel (2nd quarter 2022 earnings call)
The tGPU will be one of the main components of the 14th generation Meteor Lake CPUs, with Arc graphics architecture to bring Intel into line with integrated GPU solutions from AMD and Apple. For now, it’s all just a rumor, but details of the platform were recently leaked. for Meteor Lake CPUs confirm that a consumer release is expected sometime in the second half of 2023.
Intel Mobility CPU Line:
| CPU family | Meteor Lake | predatory lake | alder lake |
|---|---|---|---|
| process node | Intel 4 ‘7nm EUV’ | Intel 7′ 10nm ESF’ | Intel 7′ 10nm ESF’ |
| CPU architecture | Hybrid (triple core) | Hybrid (dual core) | Hybrid (dual core) |
| P-core architecture | redwood cove | predatory cove | golden cove |
| Electronic core architecture | Crestmont | Gracemont | Gracemont |
| top configuration | 6+8 (H-series) | 6+8 (H-series) | 6+8 (H-series) |
| Max cores/threads | 14/20 | 14/20 | 14/20 |
| planned alignment | H/P/U series | H/P/U series | H/P/U series |
| GPU architecture | Battlemage Xe2 ‘Xe-LPG’ | Iris Xe (Gen 12) | Iris Xe (Gen 12) |
| GPU Execution Units | 128 EU (1024 cores) | 96 EU (768 cores) | 96 EU (768 cores) |
| memory support | DDR5-5600 LPDDR5-7400 LPDDR5X – 7400+ |
DDR5-5200 LPDDR5-5200 LPDDR5-6400 |
DDR5-4800 LPDDR5-5200 LPDDR5X-4267 |
| Memory capacity (max.) | 96GB | 64GB | 64GB |
| Thunderbolt 4 ports | 4 | two | two |
| Wi-Fi Capability | WiFi 6E | WiFi 6E | WiFi 6E |
| TDP | 15-45W | 15-45W | 15-45W |
| Throw | 2H 2023 | 1H 2023 | 1H 2022 |