Intel said its foundry business is gaining traction, with CEO Lip-Bu Tan expecting commitments from multiple external manufacturing customers in the second half of 2026.
18A process yields are now improving 7% to 8% a month, Tan said, after he found the node in poor shape when he became CEO in March 2025.
That manufacturing progress is drawing more prospective customers to Intel's fabs, though Tan declined to comment on a May 8 report that Apple may use Intel for some chip production.
Intel's foundry push is central to its turnaround and to U.S. chip-making capacity, with an 18A plant in Arizona already built while its Ohio project is delayed until at least 2030.
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Intel’s 18A Yield Surge and Foundry Gamble: Will U.S. Chipmaking Challenge TSMC by 2027?
Overview
Intel's 18A process node achieved major yield improvements from late 2025 to 2026, enabling successful high-volume manufacturing and giving Intel a credible claim to having the world's best transistor for the first time in a decade. Despite some ongoing process variability, these breakthroughs led Intel to reverse its initial plan to keep 18A for internal use only. Instead, strong progress and growing external interest convinced leadership to offer 18A to outside customers, marking a strategic shift that positions Intel to compete more directly in the global foundry market.