A first, blurry, look at Meteor Lake, Intel’s I4 process node.
INTEL’S PROBLEMS with its processor nodes have been notorious. It was slow to reach 10nm and got stuck there. But it got a new CEO, Patrick Gelsinger, and an ambitious plan to reclaim the leadership in CPU technology by 2025. To do that, it made a bold promise to make five new nodes in four years. The second step in that journey, Intel 4, or I4 (although comparable to TSMC’s 7nm) is due to arrive in the shape of the Meteor Lake processor next year. We’ve seen actual silicon in the form of a die at this year’s VLSI Symposium, which has been running since 1981 as a venue for engineers to show off technical stuff.