Intel 14A 2028 production is now an official part of the company’s manufacturing plan. Intel said during its second-quarter 2026 earnings call that it has committed to a high-volume ramp of its 14A, or 1.4nm-class, process in 2028, after reporting $16.1 billion in revenue for the quarter, up 25% from a year earlier.
Chief executive Lip-Bu Tan told analysts that Intel still expects 14A risk production for internal products in the second half of 2027. He said the company decided in the second quarter to proceed with a full high-volume ramp in 2028, citing stronger demand for Intel’s own chips and progress with outside customers.
When will Intel 14A enter mass production?
Intel’s stated schedule puts 14A risk production in the second half of 2027 and high-volume manufacturing in 2028. Risk production is the stage where a chipmaker starts running early product builds on a new process to prove yield, performance and manufacturability before broader production begins.
The timing still leaves some wiggle room. If Intel’s 2028 ramp lands late in the year, products using 14A could arrive in 2029 rather than 2028. Intel also said the initial 14A ramp is for its own products, not external foundry customers.
The plan puts Intel’s schedule in the same general window as TSMC’s A14 process. TSMC has said multiple customers have already taped out chips on A14, meaning designs have been sent for manufacturing preparation. Intel did not identify outside customers that have committed products to 14A.
Intel’s revenue beat came with an ugly GAAP loss
Intel’s quarter looked better operationally than the headline loss suggests. Revenue of $16.1 billion came in $1.8 billion above the midpoint of Intel’s own guidance. The company reported an $11 billion GAAP loss, which it attributed to $13.619 billion in mark-to-market losses tied to escrowed shares under its CHIPS Act Secure Enclave agreement with the U.S. government.
On a non-GAAP basis, Intel reported net income of $2.2 billion. GAAP gross margin rose to 40.1%, compared with 27.5% in the second quarter of 2025. Operating cash flow reached $7.0 billion, and Intel said it raised its capital spending outlook for 2026 and 2027 because AI-related demand is still outstripping supply.
Intel’s Client Computing and Physical AI Group posted $8.9 billion in revenue, up 13% year over year. Chief financial officer David Zinsner said the client result was driven mainly by higher average selling prices rather than increased unit volume, with product mix and cost inflation both contributing.
The Data Center and AI business grew faster. Intel said that segment brought in $6.3 billion, up 59% from a year earlier, helped by Xeon demand, AI infrastructure deployments and purpose-built silicon. Tan said Xeon 6 was among the fastest-ramping products in Intel’s history. Zinsner said purpose-built silicon revenue rose about 20% sequentially and nearly tripled from a year earlier.
Intel Foundry reported $5.8 billion in revenue, up 31% year over year, as Intel 18A production increased. Its operating loss narrowed to $2.1 billion, compared with $2.4 billion in the prior quarter and $3.2 billion a year earlier. External foundry revenue was $293 million.
For the third quarter, Intel guided revenue to a range of $15.8 billion to $16.8 billion, with projected non-GAAP gross margin of 42% and earnings per share of $0.38.
This story draws on original reporting from Tom's Hardware.
