Intel IFS Partners Up With Arm To Develop Improved Arm IP Designs for Intel’s 18A Node
In 2016, Intel’s now-defunct custom foundry business and Arm collaborated to introduce Arm’s Artisan Physical and POP IP for ARM Cortex-A processor cores on Intel’s 10nm process. It turns out nothing was meant to be a long-term deal and collaboration afterward, as Intel closed its custom foundry business in 2018 due to manufacturing issues. As part of the IDM 2.0 strategy, Pat Gelsinger has developed a plan to create a new Foundry Service called Intel Foundry Services (IFS).
Since the inception of Intel’s Foundry Services, it has signed deals and partnerships with multiple companies, including MediaTek, and acquired Tower Semiconductors for $5.4 billion. Intel’s latest deal includes a new collaboration with Arm, based in Cambridge, UK, to optimize and build on Arm’s IP and technology in Intel’s upcoming 18A manufacturing process. will be
Intel Foundry Services and Arm’s partnership includes a Design Technology Co-Optimization (DTCO) agreement, under which Arm’s current and impending SoC-based IP will deliver power, package area and performance on Intel’s 18A process node , and optimized for cost. This means that Arm and Intel will develop versions of various Arm IP blocks optimized for use on Intel’s 18A process.
The deal announcement did not specify whether Arm will develop the core itself directly, but it opens the door for further collaborations in the future. This could include other companies using his IP from Arm to create his SoCs. This includes companies such as MediaTek and Qualcomm that have separate agreements with Intel Foundry Services.
Rendering of Intel’s Fab Campus in Ohio, $100 billion worth of investment in IFS
One of the key parts of Intel’s foundry services was creating an independent business that offered a mix of the various packaging and process technologies available in the industry. This includes new manufacturing facilities as part of Intel’s IDM 2.0 strategy, including a planned location in Germany and his $20 billion investment in two new chip factories outside Ohio, USA. of procurement sites were included. Intel’s latest deal with Arm to optimize designs for manufacturing at his 18A node is just the beginning.
Despite the failure of the previous Intel Custom Foundry with numerous issues on the 10nm and 7nm nodes, the latest Intel Foundry Services provide confidence to the market through this new deal with ARM. One of the most important benefits of Intel’s recent deal with Arm is that Intel has become an unbiased fabricator and manufacturer of chips outside of other divisions, including the Client Computing Group (CCG) and Graphics (AXG) divisions. It is to be able to act as Arm, as well as Arm’s current partners, will be able to take full advantage of Intel’s open systems foundry model, including packaging, software and chiplets as part of the deal.
The move, which includes a combination of Intel’s IDM 2.0 strategy and a new deal with Arm to develop and optimize SoCs for the Intel 18A node, not only appears to build market confidence in IFS, but also Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC). TSMC is currently the market leader in advanced process nodes for chip manufacturing and chiplet design.
By enabling optimization of Arm IP in SoCs in areas where Intel has explicitly struggled in the past, IFS could grow and expand its business into areas such as the Internet of Things (IoT) and automotive. Note that there is
