According to Intel principal engineer Joseph Bonetti, the rumored deal with TSMC is a mistake. He asserts that Intel's 18A process node is more advanced and is nearing completion, with early adopters such as Microsoft and Amazon already on board.

Bonetti's LinkedIn post, which has since been deleted, highlighted Intel's progress in semiconductor manufacturing. He mentioned that the Intel 18A process, which is set to power the upcoming Panther Lake CPUs, is almost ready for production.

He also addressed concerns that Intel 18A might be outperformed by TSMC's new N2 process node, noting that both use gate-all-around (GAA) transistors. However, he emphasized that Intel 18A has an additional advantage with backside power delivery.

Bonetti acknowledged the challenges ahead for Intel, including the unprofitability of Intel Foundry Services (IFS) due to significant investments and the absence of major external contracts. He also mentioned TSMC's roadmap, which points to its 2nm process node (N2) entering mass production in the second half of 2025, with large-scale production planned for 2026.