Intel Seals Major Deal with Microsoft for 18A Process; Google, NVIDIA, and More Set to Follow

So, Intel Foundry has got its groove back, sorta like finding that perfect track on a rainy day—yeah, the 18A process is like their “iPhone moment,” or that’s what the buzz says. Apparently, all the big tech names are circling like seagulls at a beach picnic.

**A Big Deal? Intel’s 18A Might Just Be**

Intel’s been kind of struggling for a win, like trying to find your car keys in a messy apartment—but not just for the cash flow. They need to swipe some spotlight from TSMC like, “Look over here!” Ever since TSMC cozied up to Trump, folks have been eyeing their U.S. setups as a cool place to hang out, avoiding the whole Taiwan thing. Intel’s tossing out the 18A process as their winning card, maybe, supposedly wooing NVIDIA, Microsoft, and Google—like a prom invite or something. Who knows if it really stacks up to TSMC’s N2, but hey, it’s got the same SRAM and all that tech mumbo jumbo.

Team Blue, as they call themselves—sounds like some superhero crew, doesn’t it? Anyway, at this Direct Connect 2025 shindig, they rolled out the 18A node saying it’s the pinnacle of U.S.-made tech wizardry. People are probably thinking it’s way cooler than the old Intel 3 node—kind of like saying, “My horse is faster than your horse,” except with chips. Clients seem jazzed up, so maybe there’s some magic in this mix after all.

The latest gossip credits the spike in interest to Intel’s fresh leadership lineup. New CEO Lip-Bu Tan is apparently shaking things up. He’s got big ideas about semiconductor design automation—not exactly dinner table conversation, but it sounds important—and ditching the old “IDM 2.0” plan, whatever that was. Maybe Intel will start impressing customers with its CPUs again. Who knows?

Also, turns out TSMC is a bit too popular—like a crowded concert where you can’t see the stage. Other companies are looking for alternatives, and voila, Intel pops up as the unexpected hero. Samsung’s trying too, but they’re not quite there yet.

Anyway—oops, lost my train of thought—but Intel seems like they’re ready to take a swipe at TSMC’s territory, or at least that’s the word on the street for now.