Intel has just 18 months to save its gaming CPU production future, says analyst

There’s serious trouble for Intel brewing, according to an industry analyst, who suggests that the beleaguered chipmaker has just 18 months before it will have to stop work on future in-house gaming CPU manufacturing. The only answer is to find a big external customer for its future 14A semiconductor manufacturing process, otherwise the jig is up.

Intel has already dipped its toes into the water when it comes to outsourcing, with some parts of its Arrow Lake CPU lineup already produced elsewhere. Should it close its own foundries, Intel will become reliant on firms like TSMC and Samsung to produce its next-gen gaming CPUs. The company is already under threat, with current gaming CPUs struggling to compete against AMD alternatives when it comes to gaming performance, as our best gaming CPU list shows.