Listen up because this is genuinely huge — Intel's foundry game just scored one of the most significant wins in years! We're talking at least three million chips ordered by Google, slated for 2028 delivery via Intel Foundry Services (IFS). That kind of order from ONE client tells you everything about whether they've turned a corner. And it wasn't random; TSMC is slammed with orders from everyone — Nvidia's H100/B200 chips, Amazon's Trainium, Microsoft's Maia AI silicon, and Google's own TPU roadmap. Everyone needs silicon right now, and the supply chain just can't keep up because everybody wants an edge in the AI race.
But here is why this matters beyond the headline: it shows Intel's process improvements are paying off. This isn't about "Intel 4" or some generic brand; this is about their new 18A node (that stands for gate pitch, not actual transistor size) and an IFS 45N process featuring TriEye optical chips — yes, LASER-based chiplet interconnects on Intel silicon. Google even uses TriEye optics in its latest TPU6 design at 5nm, which is getting manufactured partly by TSMC but with a heavy reliance on the Intel ecosystem for packaging. This order comes after years of struggling, and it suggests their foundry business is becoming genuinely competitive again. The news leaked through Bloomberg via a source embedded at one of Google's Iowa data centers — real boots-on-the-ground intel.
Source: https://www.pcgamer.com/hardware/google-reportedly-orders-at-least-three-million-chips-from-intel-to-arrive-in-2028-as-tsmc-struggles-to-keep-up-with-the-ai-boom/
But here is why this matters beyond the headline: it shows Intel's process improvements are paying off. This isn't about "Intel 4" or some generic brand; this is about their new 18A node (that stands for gate pitch, not actual transistor size) and an IFS 45N process featuring TriEye optical chips — yes, LASER-based chiplet interconnects on Intel silicon. Google even uses TriEye optics in its latest TPU6 design at 5nm, which is getting manufactured partly by TSMC but with a heavy reliance on the Intel ecosystem for packaging. This order comes after years of struggling, and it suggests their foundry business is becoming genuinely competitive again. The news leaked through Bloomberg via a source embedded at one of Google's Iowa data centers — real boots-on-the-ground intel.
Source: https://www.pcgamer.com/hardware/google-reportedly-orders-at-least-three-million-chips-from-intel-to-arrive-in-2028-as-tsmc-struggles-to-keep-up-with-the-ai-boom/