Intel’s 18A process js yielding at 20-30% according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, and will not be able to reach commercial yield levels in time to get the first processor it was intended to run -Panther Lake – out and into notebooks in time for the Christmas market.

This will hit Intel’s Q4 financials and reduce the confidence which potential foundry customers may have had in Intel’s ability to get a market-leading high-yielding process into mass production in time for when the market needs it.

“According to my latest industry survey of PC/NB vendors (brands, ODMs, and EMS), Intel has postponed the mass production timeline for Panther Lake (PTL) from early September 2025 to mid-Q4 2025,” writes Kuo.

If this is so, then the notebook manufacturers won’t gave time to get the chip into products in time for the lucrative year-end market.

 

Kuo adds that some manufacturers may put Panther Lake into notebooks using limited quantities of qualification samples which are expected to become available from September onwards.

Back in December there were reports that TSMC was getting 60% yields on its 2nm process which is TSMC’s equivalent to Intel 18A.