Semiconductor manufacturing in Europe Ireland introduces 3-nanometer process in Europe

From Sebastian Gerstl| Translated by AI 1 min Reading Time

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Intel has announced that it will introduce its Intel 3 manufacturing process for mass production at its Fab 34 in Leixlip, Ireland. The first market-ready chips using the 3nm process are expected to be manufactured there later this year.

Manufacturing facilities in a cleanroom at Intel's Fab 34. The production site in Leixlip, Ireland, is currently being equipped with the in-house 3-nanometer process. The first products using the Intel 3 process are expected to be ready for mass production later this year.(Image: Intel)
Manufacturing facilities in a cleanroom at Intel's Fab 34. The production site in Leixlip, Ireland, is currently being equipped with the in-house 3-nanometer process. The first products using the Intel 3 process are expected to be ready for mass production later this year.
(Image: Intel)

Since the fall of last year, Intel has already been manufacturing using its in-house 3-nanometer process in the US state of Oregon. Now the technology is also coming to Europe: From the end of 2025, Intel will produce its 3-nm chips in Leixlip, Ireland. There, products have already been rolling off the line since fall 2023 using the in-house 4-nanometer process.

The Intel 3 process is the company's second market-ready EUV lithography node after Intel 4. According to the chip manufacturer, it offers 18 percent better performance per watt compared to its predecessor. The technology forms the basis for Intel's Xeon 6 Scalable processors and is also available to Intel Foundry Services customers.

The capacities for high-end processors in Europe are very limited. When production begins using Intel 3 in Leixlip, this process will be the most advanced by which chips are manufactured in the EU. In addition to the Intel 3 process, the company also offers manufacturing nodes such as Intel 4, 18A, 7nm, and 16nm for foundry customers in Europe. Furthermore, Intel, together with the Taiwanese contract manufacturer UMC, is developing a 12-nm process.

Intel's most advanced technology node, the 18A process, currently remains in the USA and is expected to bring its first chips into mass production this year. Later in 2025, Intel plans to manufacture the first processors of the Panther Lake series in its Arizona production facilities—the first mass-produced semiconductors based on the company's 1.8-nanometer process.

While Ireland is being expanded, other European projects remain in limbo. Intel's planned mega-fab in Magdeburg, Germany is still stuck in the planning phase. The same goes for a proposed packaging plant in Poland. (sg)

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