DigiTimes: Intel postpones orders for TSMC 3nm wafers for Arrow Lake CPUs

Intel is postponing orders for 3nm wafers from chip manufacturer TSMC until the end of 2024, insiders report to DigiTimes. Intel would use those wafers for the IPUs in its fifteenth generation Core processors, called Arrow Lake.

Resources from PC Makers report to DigiTimes that Intel is postponing orders for 3nm wafers from TSMC until the fourth quarter of 2024. The company would use those TSMC 3nm chips for the first time in its upcoming Arrow Lake CPUs. That generation is officially scheduled for next year. Previous reports stated that the Arrow Lake release would take place in the third quarter of 2024, also writes Tom’s Hardware. If DigiTimes’ reports are correct, the release of these processors would likely be pushed back to early 2025 at the earliest.

Arrow Lake will be the successor to the Meteor Lake generation, which is planned for this year. For these consumer processors, Intel is introducing a new chiplet-like structure with different tiles, which are produced using different processes. For example, Intel would have the integrated GPUs for its Arrow Lake processors produced at 3nm by TSMC, while the company itself makes the CPU chiplet on its 20A node with Gaa transistors. Intel previously confirmed during a presentation that it will have some of its upcoming Arrow Lake tiles produced using the N3 process from an external company. The company previously outsourced the production of its Arc GPUs to TSMC.