Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan has confirmed that the next-generation flagship client processor, Nova Lake, will be manufactured by Intel Foundry using the 18A-P process. This will be Intel's first client product to use this process, with more details expected to be announced at CES next January.
During the Q3 2026 earnings call, Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan confirmed that the company's upcoming flagship client processor, Nova Lake, would be manufactured using Intel Foundry's 18A-P process.
Initially, Intel planned to have TSMC manufacture Nova Lake's main compute tile using its 2nm-class N2 process.Under the original plan, TSMC was set to handle approximately 60% to 70% of production, with the remainder produced in-house by Intel Foundry using the 18A process. This meant Intel originally intended to use processes from both manufacturers for its next-generation processors.
However, subsequent supply chain reports indicated that Intel planned to bring most of Nova Lake's compute tile production back in-house, utilizing its own 18A-P process. Now, Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan has personally confirmed this news.
Lip-Bu Tan stated, "Nova Lake will be the first client product to adopt Intel's 18A-P process, with R&D progress currently ahead of schedule. We expect the number of customer design wins at launch to be double that of Panther Lake. We look forward to sharing more information at CES in January next year."
In terms of specifications, Intel plans to release models with single and dual compute tiles. Each compute tile features up to 8 Coyote Cove performance cores (P-cores) and 16 Arctic Wolf efficient cores (E-cores), while the I/O tile integrates 4 low-power efficient cores (LPE-Cores).
Depending on the specific model, Nova Lake will feature either a single-compute-tile design with up to 28 cores or a dual-compute-tile design offering up to 52 cores.
Current rumors suggest that the single-compute-tile version will launch first, followed by the dual-compute-tile version later. However, Intel is expected to reveal more details at CES next January, so official confirmation is still pending.