Intel Delays 7-Nanometer Chips Until Late 2022 or Early 2023

During its second quarter earnings announcement, Intel today said that it has delayed the rollout of its 7-nanometer chips by six months, which pushes the release date to late 2022 or early 2023 (via Tom's Hardware).

intel logo
Intel's yields for its 7nm process are now twelve months behind its internal target. From Intel's earnings release:

The company's 7nm-based CPU product timing is shifting approximately six months relative to prior expectations. The primary driver is the yield of Intel's 7nm process, which based on recent data, is now trending approximately twelve months behind the company's internal target.

Intel CEO Bob Swan in the Q2 2020 earnings call said that Intel identified a "defect mode" in the 7nm process and has invested in "contingency plans" that include external third-party foundries. At the end of the call, Swan said that he's "not happy" with Intel's 7nm performance. Intel was originally aiming to release 7nm chips in 2021.

While the new 7nm process is in development, Intel plans to launch 10nm-based "Tiger Lake" chips in the near future, and the company's 10nm-based server CPU "Ice Lake" is on track for launch later this year. A new line of client CPUs codenamed "Alder Lake" will launch in the second half of 2021, which will include its first 10nm-based desktop CPU.

Intel has struggled with multiple yield issues over the years, which has led to chip delays and roadmap changes. Intel's issues are perhaps one of the reasons that Apple has decided to ditch Intel chips in favor of its own Arm-based chip technology for Macs. Apple has in the past been forced to delay updates or use older chips because of delays in Intel's production plans.

Starting this year, Apple is transitioning the Mac lineup to its own Apple Silicon chips, with the first Mac processors to be based on the 5-nanometer A14 chips in the works for the 2020 iPhone lineup.

Apple hasn't provided details on which Macs will get Apple Silicon chips first, but rumors suggest the 13-inch MacBook Pro and 13-inch MacBook Air models could be updated with the new chips before the end of the year. Apple says it will take two years to transition away from Intel chips entirely.

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro 34ths Perspective

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 10 New Features

Sunday March 23, 2025 10:00 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of March 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone ...
macbook pro blue green

When Will Apple Release the M5 MacBook Pro?

Wednesday March 26, 2025 4:53 pm PDT by
Apple regularly refreshes the MacBook Pro models, and a new version that uses M5 series chips is in the works. Apple just finished refreshing most of the Mac lineup with M4 chips, and now it's time for the M5. Rumors suggest that we could see the first M5 MacBook Pro models this fall. Design There have been no rumors of a design update for the M5 MacBook Pro models that are coming this...
Apple Lumon Terminal Pro

Apple's Mac Site Features Fictional 'Lumon Terminal Pro'

Wednesday March 26, 2025 12:19 pm PDT by
Apple is going all out with promotions for the popular Severance Apple TV+ show today, and as of right now, you'll find a new "Lumon Terminal Pro" listed on Apple's Mac site. The Lumon Terminal Pro is designed to look similar to the machines that Severance employees like Mark S. and Helly R. use for macrodata refinement. The Terminal features a blue keyboard, a small display with wide...
Facebook Feature

Facebook's New iPhone App Feature Turns the Clock Back to 2007

Thursday March 27, 2025 1:59 pm PDT by
In the mid-to-late 2000s, Facebook was all about staying connected with friends and family. However, as the social media platform added new features and grew over time, that core experience began to get drowned out. That changes starting now, according to Meta, which today introduced a new feature that will "bring back the joy" of classic Facebook. Specifically, Meta has redesigned the...
Generic iOS 18

iOS 18.4 Coming Soon With These New Features for Your iPhone

Tuesday March 25, 2025 6:45 am PDT by
Apple is expected to release iOS 18.4 to the general public as soon as next week, following more than a month of beta testing. Apple's website says some iOS 18.4 features will be released in "early April," so the update should be out as early as Tuesday, April 1. Apple this week seeded the iOS 18.4 Release Candidate, which is typically the final beta version, barring the discovery of any...
iPhone 17 Pro 34ths Perspective

iPhone 17 Pro Supports 8K Video Recording, Suggests Leaker [Updated]

Wednesday March 26, 2025 4:06 am PDT by
Update 7:25 pm: Based on comments from our forums, it appears the original Weibo post may have been mistranslated and "8K" actually refers to the high price of the device rather than 8K video recording capabilities. The iPhone 16 Pro currently starts at 7,999 yuan in China. Our original article follows below. Apple's forthcoming iPhone 17 Pro models are capable of shooting 8K video, up...
Foldable iPhone 2023 Feature 1

'iPhone Fold' to Feature Metallic Glass Hinge That Resists Deformation

Thursday March 27, 2025 4:21 am PDT by
Last week, we covered a report claiming that Apple's book-style foldable iPhone (or "iPhone Fold," as we are provisionally calling it here) will use liquid metal hinges to improve durability and help minimize screen creasing. Today, a Chinese leaker provided more details on the properties of this hinge material that help to clarify why Apple chose it for its first foldable device. According...
iOS 18 4 Ambient Music Control Center

How to Use iOS 18.4's New Ambient Music Feature in Control Center

Thursday March 27, 2025 7:45 am PDT by
The upcoming iOS 18.4 update for the iPhone adds an Ambient Music feature to Control Center. Below, we take a closer look at how it works. iOS 18.4 is currently in beta, so the Ambient Music feature is not widely available yet. The update will likely be released to the general public next week. To use the feature on iOS 18.4, open Control Center and tap on the plus sign in the top-left...
Generic iOS 19 Feature Mock

Gurman: Jon Prosser's iOS 19 Mockups 'Aren't Representative' of Redesign

Tuesday March 25, 2025 4:47 pm PDT by
The iOS 19 mockup images that leaker Jon Prosser shared today are not representative of the actual iOS 19 design, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said on social media. According to Gurman, the images that are "floating around" are based on "very old builds" or "vague descriptions," and are lacking key features. Gurman says that we can "expect more from Apple in June." Gurman made the same comment ...

Top Rated Comments

FocusAndEarnIt Avatar
61 months ago
Move over, Intel. You're the 2020 version of the PowerPC. Can't wait for ARM. Typing this on a 16" MBP with blaring fans just because an external monitor is plugged in. :rolleyes:
Score: 86 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jz0309 Avatar
61 months ago
yield issues again ... I worked there for 15+yrs but left 10+yrs ago, they had lost their groove back then ... and they started to get rid of a lot of senior people who knew what they ere doing and didn't really replace the technical leadership with capable folks, and they are now run by a finance guy when they really need technical leadership ... I think the apple move will hurt them much more in the long run than analysts seem to think ... I've now completely lost my confidence in them
Score: 67 Votes (Like | Disagree)
alphaswift Avatar
61 months ago
Apple looks smart switching to ARM
Score: 65 Votes (Like | Disagree)
citysnaps Avatar
61 months ago
A huge hat-tip to Johny Srouji and his team, Tim Cook, and Apple for the foresight, investment, and years of planning that will soon make Apple beholden to Intel no longer. And instead have in-house silicon that will offer better performance, custom features, and with a lower cost.

Truly amazing what Apple pulled off.
Score: 47 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Mr. Dee Avatar
61 months ago
I guess this further solidifies Apples decision. Apple likely had deep access to Intels internal roadmap and saw where this was heading. I am more confident my next Mac will have Apple silicon rather than Intel inside. The interesting thing in all of this, I am still using a Core 2 Duo Dell Optiplex at work. So, let that sink in.
Score: 36 Votes (Like | Disagree)
upandown Avatar
61 months ago

yield issues again ... I worked there for 15+yrs but left 10+yrs ago, they had lost their groove back then ... and they started to get rid of a lot of senior people who knew what they ere doing and didn't really replace the technical leadership with capable folks, and they are now run by a finance guy when they really need technical leadership ... I think the apple move will hurt them much more in the long run than analysts seem to think ... I've now completely lost my confidence in them
Great to hear inside perspective validating conjecture. Sadly, many many companies are run that way now.
Score: 35 Votes (Like | Disagree)