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Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Intel’s February 2024 roadmap grouped five process nodes into its “five nodes in four years” plan: Intel 7, Intel 4, Intel 3, Intel 20A and Intel 18A. The company said the plan remained on track and named Intel 14A as a leading-edge node beyond that sequence. Those were Intel’s statements and plans as of February 2024—not confirmation of later delivery or of the roadmap’s status in 2026. Intel calls the final node in the sequence Intel 18A; its announcement does not establish “18nm” as a literal physical feature size.
What Intel meant by “five nodes in four years”
On February 21, 2024, Intel said its five-nodes-in-four-years (5N4Y) manufacturing roadmap remained on track. The sequence it described was:
- Intel 7
- Intel 4
- Intel 3
- Intel 20A
- Intel 18A
Intel presented Intel 18A as the sequence’s planned endpoint and said company leaders expected it to deliver process leadership in 2025. That was a forecast made in 2024. The cited announcement does not establish whether each node arrived on schedule or whether Intel achieved that expectation. Intel’s February 21, 2024 announcement is the dated basis for the roadmap claims.
What is Intel 18A—and does “18nm” mean 18 nanometers?
Intel 18A is the name Intel uses for a process node in its roadmap. The cited announcement does not say that “18A” corresponds to a literal 18-nanometer physical dimension, nor does it give a direct conversion. The title’s “18nm” wording should therefore be understood as shorthand for the question about Intel 18A, not as a verified measurement of a transistor feature or other physical dimension.
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What Intel said would come after Intel 18A
Intel 14A and the planned cadence
Intel’s February 2024 roadmap extended beyond the 5N4Y sequence with Intel 14A. Intel said it planned a new node every two years, with node evolutions between launches. This describes the cadence Intel announced at that time; it is not evidence of current timing or availability.
Specialized node evolutions
The roadmap also included evolutions for Intel 3, Intel 18A and Intel 14A. Intel identified Intel 3-T as optimized with through-silicon vias for 3D packaging. Its roadmap graphic used additional labels including Intel 3-E, Intel 3-PT, Intel 18A-P and Intel 14A-E. These are roadmap names announced by Intel in 2024, not proof that the variants later became available.
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- DDR4 and DDR5 platform support cuts your load times and gives you the space to run the most demanding games
Why Intel tied the roadmap to foundry customers and packaging
Intel presented the plans as part of Intel Foundry, a systems-foundry business that brings together process technology, manufacturing, customer support and advanced packaging. Its announcement cited packaging technologies including EMIB and Foveros, and added FCBGA 2D+ to its assembly and test offerings. That broader framing matters: a foundry offer is not only a list of process-node names, but also the packaging and ecosystem capabilities intended to help customers build and manufacture products.
Customer and ecosystem announcements
Intel said Microsoft had chosen a chip design it planned to produce on Intel 18A. Microsoft Chairman and CEO Satya Nadella said, “That’s why we are so excited to work with Intel Foundry, and why we have chosen a chip design that we plan to produce on Intel 18A process.” Intel also reported that Synopsys, Cadence, Siemens, Ansys, Lorentz and Keysight had disclosed tool qualification or IP readiness for Intel process and packaging designs. These are announcements attributed to Intel; they do not independently establish customer production volumes, product shipments or Intel Foundry’s competitiveness. Intel’s announcement contains its account of the customer and partner developments.
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What the 2024 roadmap does—and does not—tell you
The roadmap is useful for understanding Intel’s stated manufacturing sequence and its intended direction beyond Intel 18A. It should not be read as a current status report: the available announcements are dated February 21 and March 20, 2024, and do not verify subsequent delivery, the 2025 leadership expectation or the roadmap’s position in 2026. The reliable distinction is between what Intel announced then and what has independently been established since; the cited material documents the former, not the latter.
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- Game Without Compromise. Play harder and work smarter with Intel Core 14th Gen processors
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- Up to 5.6 GHz with Turbo Boost Max Technology 3.0 gives you smooth game play, high frame rates, and rapid responsiveness
- Compatible with Intel 600-series (with potential BIOS update) or 700-series chipset-based motherboards
- DDR4 and DDR5 platform support cuts your load times and gives you the space to run the most demanding games
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