Faraday Technology, a company specializing in chip design services, has announced its plans to develop a 64-core processor using the Arm Neoverse architecture. This processor will be manufactured by Intel Foundry Services using their 18A (1.8nm class) fabrication process.
More About Faraday Partnering with Intel Foundry Services
According to Faraday, the system-on-chip (SoC) with 64 Arm Neoverse cores will be suitable for a range of applications, including scalable hyperscale data centers, cutting-edge computing infrastructure, and advanced 5G networks. While the specific interface IPs from the Arm Total Design ecosystem that will be integrated into the SoC haven’t been disclosed by the chip designer, it is reasonable to expect technologies like PCIe, CXL, and DDR5 to be included.
It’s worth noting that Faraday won’t directly market this processor; instead, they will provide the design to customers, who can then customize it according to their needs. Although potential customers haven’t been revealed yet by Faraday, the company has expressed confidence in combining Arm Neoverse technology with Intel’s advanced 18A fabrication process. These upcoming CPUs are anticipated to be, among Intel Foundry Services’ first data centre processors based on Arm architecture.
Intel Foundry Services has already signed contracts for chips used in data centers. These include a chip designed for data centers called Intel 3, a custom server chip created for Ericsson, and Intel 18A-based chips manufactured for the U.S. Department of Defense. Moreover, Intel also produces systems in packages, for data centers that are utilized by Amazon Web Services.
Steve Wang, the CEO of Faraday highlighted the company’s focus on utilizing advanced technology nodes to cater to the evolving requirements of applications.
He expressed his enthusiasm, for the development of the Arm Neoverse-based SoC platform, which utilizes Intel’s 18A technology. This collaboration between Faraday and Intel aims to benefit Faraday’s ASIC and Design Implementation Service (DIS) customers by speeding up the time to market for cutting-edge data center and performance computing (HPC) applications.
Intel’s 18A technology incorporates gate all-around RibbonFET transistors and PowerVia backside power delivery. It is expected to provide a 10% improvement in performance per watt compared to Intel’s technology, making it particularly suitable for data center applications.
Stuart Pann, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Intel Foundry Services (IFS) confirmed the partnership with Faraday on the SoC based on Arm Neoverse CSS using Intels 18A process technology. He emphasized Intel’s dedication to delivering manufacturing innovations across the semiconductor supply chain enabling Faraday’s customers to meet power and performance requirements for their SoC designs.
Although the collaboration between Intel Foundry Services and Arm regarding the system on chips using Intels 18A fabrication technology was announced in April 2023 concrete outcomes have yet to be realized. However, Faraday’s interest, in targeting the data center market with Arm Neoverse and Intel’s 18A highlights advancements in this field.
