Intel has announced the launch of a chip that’s made in America. Analysts say the Core Ultra Series Three could help the California-based company regain its dominance in the chip industry.
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Intel says it is launching a made-in-America, high-tech computer chip. The California-based company said that at the Consumer Electronics Show, which is in Las Vegas. Many companies hype their products at that show, but analysts see Intel’s announcement as a big ‘un. Here’s NPR technology correspondent John Ruwitch.
JOHN RUWITCH, BYLINE: The chip is called Core Ultra Series 3. Here’s Intel senior vice president Jim Johnson unveiling it.
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JIM JOHNSON: The first processor built with 18A technology, the most advanced process in the world.
RUWITCH: 18A is how Intel refers to the size of the transistors on the chip. That’s 18 angstroms, or 1.8 billionths of a meter. Basically, that’s as small as they come, making the chip faster and more efficient. It won’t go in AI data centers, though, which have been the focus of the industry’s attention lately. The new chip will be in PCs, robots and other devices. And it’ll be made in Arizona. Jeff Janukowicz, a research vice president at the tech consultancy IDC, says there’s a lot riding on it for Intel.
JEFF JANUKOWICZ: A lot of their success moving forward will be predicated on, you know, what happens with 18A process now.
RUWITCH: Intel’s had a lot of success in the past. It was once the chip industry’s top dog. But it missed opportunities, like the market for phone and tablet chips, and lost market share. Within the past few years, though, it’s invested in factories and the technology to get back in the game. Last year, the Trump administration cast a spotlight on Intel when it announced that the U.S. government would take a 10% stake in the company as part of its efforts to rebuild the U.S. chip industry.
MARK VENA: Big picture, I would say Intel is back.
RUWITCH: Mark Vena is CEO of Las Vegas-based SmartTech Research.
VENA: This is a seminal moment for the company because they’re delivering. They’re executing on what they said they would do.
RUWITCH: And he says, if the chip does well on the market, it could be the first of many wins that Intel needs to get back on top.
John Ruwitch, NPR News, Las Vegas.
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