Intel says Nova Lake will be its first chip on 18A-P, while shifting wafers to servers
The desktop family is running ahead of plan, but the same capacity shift means fewer client wafers are being built as the PC market contracts.
Intel's CEO Lip-Bu Tan told investors on the latest earnings call that Nova Lake, the desktop family due after Panther Lake, will be the first client chip built on the enhanced 18A-P process, and that it is running ahead of plan with design wins projected at twice Panther Lake's count at launch. More details are promised at CES in January. On the supply side, the CFO said Intel plans to move 18A wafers that would otherwise have gone to Panther Lake onto data center work, freeing capacity for more server wafers. Intel also expects its client PC business to shrink sharply in the coming quarters, with the PC market forecast to fall about 12% in 2026 and roughly 10% in 2027 as memory costs weigh on the market. The CFO framed Nova Lake as filling a gap in Intel's high-end desktop lineup, which matters for developers and buyers weighing desktop upgrades.
Why it matters
Intel is redirecting leading-edge manufacturing capacity from PC chips toward data center processors, a sign of where it sees demand. Buyers of Intel desktop parts may see a new high-end option in Nova Lake, but the company itself expects its client PC business to shrink sharply in the coming quarters as the PC market falls. Together these point to a company prioritising server revenue over consumer PC volume for the time being.
Matters or hype?
Does this story matter, or is it hype? Vote before you see what everyone else said.