NVIDIA and AMD Explore Intel 14A Node, Apple and Broadcom Come After Intel EMIB Packaging

NVIDIA and AMD are reportedly evaluating Intel Foundry’s 14A node, while Apple and Broadcom are considering Intel’s EMIB packaging for a custom server accelerator. According to GF Securities Hong Kong, these developments reflect a growing willingness among top designers to reconsider their sources for both front-end process technology and back-end assembly. Capacity limits at alternative suppliers like TSMC are likely a key factor prompting these exploratory moves, with packaging availability now a central constraint for large design houses.

Closer to Apple, supply chain reports indicate the company has engaged Intel for process evaluation and is weighing alternative packaging routes. Apple has reportedly worked with version 0.9.1 of the 18A-P process design kit and is awaiting PDK 1.0 or 1.1, expected in the first quarter of 2026, before moving into larger scale tests. The Broadcom-assisted “Baltra” server design was originally linked to TSMC’s N3 3 nm processes, but limited CoWoS capacity at TSMC has led Apple to consider Intel for packaging with EMIB options. At the same time, shipments of the custom AI server parts now seem more likely in 2028, while lower-end M-series chips built on Intel process technology could appear in 2027 if PDK revisions and yield targets prove sufficient for Apple.

For Intel, external interest is the validation of decades of research and development, as well as billions of USD invested across manufacturing and advanced packaging. The 14A node,…