Intel says its 14A process technology is advancing ahead of its internal manufacturing targets, with defect reduction progressing at the company’s quickest rate since its 22nm generation. The update matters because 14A is intended to support both Intel’s own chip designs and the company’s effort to win outside customers for Intel Foundry.
David Zinsner, Intel’s chief financial officer, discussed the progress at the Deutsche Bank Technology Conference 2026, as reported by Wccftech. Intel is targeting risk production for 14A in 2027, followed by volume production in 2028.
The comparison with 22nm refers to the speed at which defects are being reduced as the process matures, rather than a claim that 14A has already reached the same defect density or production yield. Lower defect counts on a wafer can raise the number of usable chips, although final yield also depends on the size and complexity of each design.
Zinsner said Intel’s internal product teams have already begun designing for 14A. Discussions with prospective foundry customers have also moved beyond technical data reviews toward questions about available manufacturing capacity, suggesting more advanced engagement without confirming any public customer contracts.
Intel plans to release version 0.9 of the 14A process design kit, or PDK, in October 2026. The kit gives chip designers the information needed to adapt their products to the manufacturing node, making its release a key step before the planned 2027 risk-production phase.
14A will be a major test of Intel Foundry’s ambition to compete more directly with TSMC. Intel is already developing its Intel 18A node and has external customer collaborations in place, while Google and NVIDIA have been linked to Intel manufacturing technologies. Separately, reports have suggested Apple could use Intel 14A for future iPhone processors, but neither company has confirmed that possibility. The next concrete checkpoint is the October 2026 PDK release.
