News Lunar Lake MX will be Intel's first high-performance CPU to use outsourced process node for x86 cores — reportedly uses TSMC's N3B tech

[Admin]

Leaked slides indicate the Lunar Lake MX processors' compute tile will be made using TSMC's N3B fabrication technology, marking the first time Intel has used outsourced tech for its highest-end chips.

Lunar Lake MX will be Intel's first high-performance CPU to use outsourced process node for x86 cores — reportedly uses TSMC's N3B tech : Read more

 

[thisisaname]

Apple has all of TSMC's 3nm production? so where and when are these being produced?

 

[TerryLaze]

What exactly in these slide is supposed to show that intel will use tsmc n3b for the mx compute tiles?! Am I just blind?! Can somebody point it out?

 

[NinoPino]

The "High performance" of the title and the "mobile" in the article sounds strange.
Most notable, the fact that Intel use TSMC N3P instead of the superior-multi-pluri-acclamed Intel 18A seems to implicitly means that TSMC is better on efficency, or that Intel have problems with future nodes.

 

[kwohlt]

The "High performance" of the title and the "mobile" in the article sounds strange.
Most notable, the fact that Intel use TSMC N3P instead of the superior-multi-pluri-acclamed Intel 18A seems to implicitly means that TSMC is better on efficency, or that Intel have problems with future nodes.

No, just that LNL is a 2024 product and 18A is a 2025 node.

 

[rluker5]

What exactly in these slide is supposed to show that intel will use tsmc n3b for the mx compute tiles?! Am I just blind?! Can somebody point it out?

Under the Lunar Lake MX section of the first slide "N3B CPUs (LNC + SKT)"
I'm assuming that the LNC and SKT are the same as in the 3rd of 4 slides below that where the LNC is labeled with the high performance cores and SKT is labeled with the e-cores.

This, and the Intel quote of 18A for Lunar Lake could be resolved by TSMC making the lower clocking, more efficient low power CPUs and Intel making the higher powered, higher performance ones.

It is also coming with Pluton. I knew that day would come eventually. MTL might even have it as their "new embedded security engine" sounds a lot like the "intel partner security engine".

On the plus side it does seem better synced with the OS for better thread management and the power claims are getting ridiculous. And the iGPU is as well.

 

[JamesJones44]

Apple has all of TSMC's 3nm production? so where and when are these being produced?

Apple's deal saw them book 90% of the N3 capacity till the end of the year. If this is going to be produced next year, access to the N3 nodes should not be an issue.

 

[thestryker]

This, and the Intel quote of 18A for Lunar Lake could be resolved by TSMC making the lower clocking, more efficient low power CPUs and Intel making the higher powered, higher performance ones.

Given the timing of LNL, the leaks and the way Intel has been referring to it I'm not sure there's going to be a high performance version. It should be using the same p-cores as ARL and likely the same e-cores as well (though there are competing leaks on this). It seems like Intel will be splitting low power and high power which makes sense if they're going to do more on package with low power.

 

[DavidC1]

The "High performance" of the title and the "mobile" in the article sounds strange.
Most notable, the fact that Intel use TSMC N3P instead of the superior-multi-pluri-acclamed Intel 18A seems to implicitly means that TSMC is better on efficency, or that Intel have problems with future nodes.

No.

Intel won't use Intel 3 because servers will take up all the wafers, and even if they have some left over, N3 is better for lower power. 20A can't be used because 20A is just like Intel 4 in that it doesn't have all the libraries necessary for I/O and SoC tiles, so they can't use that. 18A can't be used since Lunar Lake is coming this year and is way too late.

Arrowlake can use 20A because it'll have a different tile configuration, similar to Meteorlake and can use Intel process just like Meteorlake does. There's no doom and gloom anywhere here.

This is so Intel can de-couple process from design which means process won't hinder design and design won't hinder process. At this point process team is better and design team is questionable, but it is what it is.

 

[cyrusfox]

This is a fascinating leak, really interested to see how cpu performs Internal produced vs external. Should lunar be compared against Meteor or Arrow though? And when will we see it launched? Meteor is landing in December, Arrow sometime next year.