Intel's upcoming flagship client CPU, known as "Nova Lake-S", has reportedly completed the tapeout process at TSMC's facilities in Taiwan. Previous rumors had suggested that Intel would use its own 18A node in combination with TSMC's 2 nm high-volume manufacturing. However, according to SemiAccurate, Intel has taped out a compute tile on TSMC's N2 node, indicating that Nova Lake-S will likely incorporate a mix of 18A and TSMC N2 for its compute tiles. This strategic decision may be a result of Intel preparing for potential issues with its 18A node or anticipating high demand that exceeds its internal manufacturing capacity.
Clients can expect Nova Lake-S to be released on schedule in the second half of 2026. However, behind the scenes, there may be some innovative solutions at play. The time from tapeout to final product release is typically several months. Currently, the taped-out silicon tile is undergoing testing in Intel's labs to ensure its performance across various use cases. This testing process usually takes a few weeks to a month to complete, followed by high-volume manufacturing starting a few months later. Taking into account manufacturing and shipping timelines, it is likely that Nova Lake-S will be available in Q3 of 2026.
It's worth noting that Nova Lake-S will feature 52 cores (16 P-cores, 32 E-cores, and four LPE-cores), along with an 8,800 MT/s memory controller. Additionally, it will be equipped with Xe3 "Celestial" for graphics rendering and Xe4 "Druid" for media and display tasks, making it a highly intriguing product with complex manufacturing requirements.
