14nm-based processors on their way for 2013

Intel's continued shrinkage
The innovative tri-gate transistor

In between talking up the impending Intel smartphones Paul Otellini, Intel CEO, also today made some very definite announcements about how far down the road the company is regarding the next die-shrink down to 14nm.

In 2012 we will see the launch of the Ivy Bridge platform, the die-shrink from 32nm down to 22nm of the second-generation Core processors, code-named Sandy Bridge.

This new setup is also expected to accelerate the trend towards the new Ultrabooks which are set to be Intel's key product from IDF 2011.

On the same 22nm lithography will follow the Haswell platform in early 2013. Haswell will be the successor to Ivy Bridge, the tock to Ivy Bridge's tick in Intel's infamous tick-tock processor development model.

Beyond this Otellini was keen to point out that it was not sitting on its laurels and was committed to keeping Moore's Law continuing.

"Moore's Law is not a scientific principle, rather it's an observation of the pace of human innovation," said Otellini. "The world needs Moore's Law to continue."

"Intel is committed to make this happen. We already have line of sight to our 14nm technology. We are well into development of this technology and are beginning to build and tool our factories to support it."

If things continue as Intel expects we should see the die-shrink of the Haswell platform from 22nm to 14nm to happen sometime in the middle of 2013, and that's reported to be code-named Broadwell.