Intel has pledged to continue with plans to begin mass production of its next-generation Skylake chips in the second half of next year, despite the schedule slip that delayed predecessor Broadwell.
Broadwell, the successor to the current-generation Haswell microarchitecture, is based on a 14nm process node which has been giving Intel a spot of bother. Plans to begin mass production of Broadwell processors last year were postponed due to yield problems at the extremely small feature size required of the parts. Although since resolved, Broadwell is still hanging back with rumours claiming overstock of Haswell parts is staying Intel's hand.
The delays that have beset Broadwell may have a knock-on effect for its successor, Skylake. Detailed in a slide leaked in July last year, Skylake follows the process shrink of Broadwell with an updated microarchitecture at the same 14nm process node. Skylake will, the slide claimed, support PCI Express 4.0, Advanced Vector Extensions (AVX) 3.2 and DDR4 memory. Officially, Skylake has no formal launch date but those following Intel's earlier release schedules have expected a release some time in late 2015 to early 2016.
Although Intel refuses to comment on rumours surrounding its launch schedule, the company's chief executive Brian Krzanich has suggested that Skylake will be hitting the market within its originally-rumoured timeframe. 'We had a lot going on,' Krzanich claimed, in response to an analyst's query regarding Intel's use of Taiwan Semiconductor (TSMC) for SoFIA chip production, in his company's most recent earnings call. 'The ramp of Broadwell, the ramp of Skylake in the second half of next year, plus bringing these products inside.'
Krzanich also confirmed plans to transition its mobile parts, including the outsourced SoFIA heavily-integrated chip, to internal production on a 14nm process. These moves, Intel has claimed, will boost demand for its parts - but profitability for its loss-making Mobile and Communications Group is a long way distant. 'I'd say for 2015, I would expect to see reduction in the loss [of the group],' chief financial officer Stacy Smith added. 'Not profitability, but a reduction in the loss will feel pretty good when we get there and then we'll keep driving towards the long-term profitability goal.'
Sadly, Intel did not confirm any further details regarding Skylake - but if production ramp is planned for the second half of 2015, retail availability should not be far behind.
Broadwell, the successor to the current-generation Haswell microarchitecture, is based on a 14nm process node which has been giving Intel a spot of bother. Plans to begin mass production of Broadwell processors last year were postponed due to yield problems at the extremely small feature size required of the parts. Although since resolved, Broadwell is still hanging back with rumours claiming overstock of Haswell parts is staying Intel's hand.
The delays that have beset Broadwell may have a knock-on effect for its successor, Skylake. Detailed in a slide leaked in July last year, Skylake follows the process shrink of Broadwell with an updated microarchitecture at the same 14nm process node. Skylake will, the slide claimed, support PCI Express 4.0, Advanced Vector Extensions (AVX) 3.2 and DDR4 memory. Officially, Skylake has no formal launch date but those following Intel's earlier release schedules have expected a release some time in late 2015 to early 2016.
Although Intel refuses to comment on rumours surrounding its launch schedule, the company's chief executive Brian Krzanich has suggested that Skylake will be hitting the market within its originally-rumoured timeframe. 'We had a lot going on,' Krzanich claimed, in response to an analyst's query regarding Intel's use of Taiwan Semiconductor (TSMC) for SoFIA chip production, in his company's most recent earnings call. 'The ramp of Broadwell, the ramp of Skylake in the second half of next year, plus bringing these products inside.'
Krzanich also confirmed plans to transition its mobile parts, including the outsourced SoFIA heavily-integrated chip, to internal production on a 14nm process. These moves, Intel has claimed, will boost demand for its parts - but profitability for its loss-making Mobile and Communications Group is a long way distant. 'I'd say for 2015, I would expect to see reduction in the loss [of the group],' chief financial officer Stacy Smith added. 'Not profitability, but a reduction in the loss will feel pretty good when we get there and then we'll keep driving towards the long-term profitability goal.'
Sadly, Intel did not confirm any further details regarding Skylake - but if production ramp is planned for the second half of 2015, retail availability should not be far behind.
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