Intel Further Puts off 10nm

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Chloe Aiello, Intel Executives Say They 'Bit off a Little Too Much' Amid 10-Nanometer Chip Delays. CNBC, Apr 26, 2018.
https://www.cnbc.com/2018/04/26/ ... ittle-too-much.html

My comment:
(a) This report is vague. That is because Intel CEO Brian Krzanich was vague about everything about 10nm in the earnings call held on Apr 26 (with analysts). Indeed, Intel's 10nm progress or lack thereof was the major issue analysts peppered the CEO,
(b) Motley Fool has since criticized Intel for failure
(i) to say when in 2019 (the new target for 10nm volume production) because Krzanich declined to say first or second half of 2019.
(ii) to explain, except hinting "yield" and "scaling" up.
(c) You read the transcript and judge for yourself.
(i) Intel Corporation (INTC) Q1 2018 Earnings Conference Call Transcript. Motley Fool, Apr 26, 2018.
https://www.fool.com/earnings/ca ... ngs-conference.aspx

Quote:

Krzanich: "Both yields and output in our Dalian factory continue to ramp ahead of schedule. In fact, we believe the Dalian fab expansion is one of the fastest Brownfield wafer starts projects in memory industry history

Krzanich: "We continue to make progress on our 10-nanometer process.

Krzanich: "We are shipping in low volume and yields are improving. Though the rate of improvement is slower than we anticipated. As a result, volume production is moving from the second half of 2018 into 2019. We understand the yield issues and have defined improvements for them. But they will take time to implement and qualify. We have leadership products on the roadmap that continue to take advantage of 14 nanometer. With Whiskey Lake for clients and Cascade Lake for the data center coming later this year [take notice: the two new chips will still be 14nm].

Krzanich: "Sure, Ross. Let me start with we absolutely have product and process leadership. We're shipping 10 nanometer products today. So, I did want to make sure that was very clear to you. And those are the densest, highest performing products out there. We're slowing the ramp down as we go and fix the yields. And we're able to do that. A) we understand the yield issues. They're really tied to this being the last technology tied to not having EUV, and the amount of multi-patterning, and the effects of that on defects. But also, the real strength of 14 nanometers. I mentioned in my prepared remarks that we've done 70% improvements in the performance of that technology over its current lifetime. And we believe it continues to have legs, that we can continue to make improvements. Both within that process technology and architecturally. And that's really giving us the breathing room to go and make these yield improvements [for 10nm]. * * * And we have the ability to carry that into 2019. Allowing us to get the yields where we want them to be

Krzanich: "And on the gross margin question [which is good] * * * But partially offset by yields that are improving, but not quite at the rate that we had anticipated on 10 nanometer.

Stacy Rasgon -- Bernstein Research -- Analyst: " * * * I wanted to follow-up on that 10-nanometer point. So as the volume production pushes out into 2019, given you understand the yield issues supposedly, is this a first-half kind of push out? Or does it push out into the second half? * * *"   Bob Swan -- Chief Financial Officer: "We're going to start that ramp as soon as we think the yields are in line. So, we said 2019. We didn't say first or second half. We'll do it as quickly as we can based on the yield. And the last part of your question about will it be a 10 or a 10-plus, I think was your question. The yield improvements that we're making are just that. More focused on yield.

Chris Danely -- Citigroup -- Analyst: " * * * Can you just talk about why the ramp in 10 nanometer -- why the yields have been a little bit slower than expected? * * * "   Krzanich: "Sure. So, the issues around 10 nanometer, I've tried to lay that out without getting too deep into the technology. * * * We think we bit off a little too much in this case [10bn]. And it may not seem like a lot. But 10% [improvement in yield] can make a lot of difference in this kind of a world.

(ii) Intel Corporation 2018 Q1 - Results - Earnings Call Slides. Seeking Alpha, Apr 26, 2018.
https://seekingalpha.com/article ... arnings-call-slides