What Products Use Intel 10nm? SuperFin and 10++ Demystified
by Dr. Ian Cutress on September 25, 2020 9:00 AM ESTThe AnandTech Decoder Ring for Intel 10nm
The reason why I’m writing about this topic is because it is all a bit of a mess. Intel is a company so large, with many different business units each with its own engineers and internal marketing personnel/product managers, that a single change made by the HQ team takes time to filter down to the other PR teams, but also filter back through the engineers, some of which make press-facing appearances. That’s before any discussions as to whether the change is seen as positive or negative by those affected.
I reached out to Intel to get their official decoder ring for the 10++ to new SuperFin naming. The official response I received was in itself confusing, and the marketing person I speak to wasn’t decoding from the first 2018 naming change, but from the original pre-2017 naming scheme. Between my contacts and I we spoke over the phone so I could hear what they wanted to tell me and so I could tell them what I felt were the reasons for the changes. Some of the explanations I made (such as Intel not wanting to acknowledge Ice Lake 10nm is different to Cannon Lake 10nm, or that Ice Lake 10nm is called that way to hide the fact that Cannon Lake 10nm didn’t work) were understandably left with a no comment.
However, I now have an official decoder ring for you, to act as a reference for both users and Intel’s own engineers alike.
AnandTech's Decoder Ring for Intel's 10nm | ||||
Product | 2020+ | First Update |
Original |
|
Cannon Lake | - | - | 10nm | |
Ice Lake Ice Lake-SP Lakefield (compute) Snow Ridge Elkhart Lake |
10nm | 10nm | 10+ | |
Tiger Lake SG1 DG1 |
10nm Superfin |
10+ | 10++ | |
Alder Lake First Xe-HP GPU Sapphire Rapids |
10nm Enhanced SuperFin |
10++ | 10+++ |
For clarity, 10nm Superfin is often abbreviated to 10SF, and 10nm Enhanced Superfin to 10ESF.
Moving forward, Intel’s communications team is committed to explaining everything in terms of 10nm, 10SF, and 10ESF. I have been told that the process of moving all internal documents away from the pre-2017 naming to the 2020 naming is already underway.
We reached out for Intel for a comment for this article:
It is widely acknowledged within the industry that there is inconsistency and confusion in [our] nanometer nomenclature. Going forward, we will refer the next generation 10nm products as 10nm SuperFin technology-based products.
My take is that whoever had the bright idea to knock Ice Lake down from 10+ to 10 (and then Tiger from 10++ to 10+ etc.), in order to protect the company from addressing issues with the Cannon Lake product, drastically failed at predicting the fallout that this name change would bring. Sometimes a company should accept they didn't score as well as they did, admit the hit, and move on, rather than try and cover it up. So much more time and effort has been lost in terms of communications between the press and Intel, or the press and engineers, or even between the engineers and Intel's own communications team. Even the basic understanding of dealing with that change has been difficult, to the detriment of the press trying to report on Intel’s technology, and likely even on the financial side as investors try to understand what’s going on.
But, truth be told, I’m glad that Intel moved away from the ++++ nomenclature. It allows the company to now easily name future manufacturing node technologies that aren’t just for pure logic performance, which may be vital if Intel ever wants to become a foundry player again.
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eastcoast_pete - Saturday, September 26, 2020 - link
Intel used to be run and lead by real subject matter experts - people with Ph.D.s or Master degrees in chemistry, physics or material sciences. I wonder which business school that executive got his degree from, but he embodies the approach that subject matter Know-how isn't really required to run a place. Unfortunately, the destination is then often "the ditch".FunBunny2 - Wednesday, October 7, 2020 - link
"business school that executive got his degree from, but he embodies the approach that subject matter Know-how isn't really required to run a place."the mantra of the typical, i.e. Ivy League, MBA - "Managing is a separable skill, can be applied to any business, and we are the masters of managing." that's why most American business has been shifted out-of-country: it saves a few pennies per unit. China didn't steal American jobs, the MBAs gave them away (Nixon "opened" China for the cheap labour, not its 'consumer' market which didn't exist), since it was no skin off their noses. in due time, only MBAs will have moolah to buy all that Chinese made stuff.
Spunjji - Friday, September 25, 2020 - link
Thanks for this article. It's good to see it all laid out.six_tymes - Friday, September 25, 2020 - link
on one hand I get it, you are venting and frustrated like so many others. on the other hand, get a life. you are making a mountain out of a molehill. They have already recognized the naming scheme issue, and as you said its a big company and it takes time to correct and do better, they are in process of doing so, drop it already and MOVE ON.Ian Cutress - Saturday, September 26, 2020 - link
Get a life? What? You're not privy to the dozens of emails going back and forth about what products are what process nodes because they keep being corrected and recorrected. I've had financial analysts, those who follow this stuff but perhaps not to the detail we do, reach out and say that this article makes it a lot easier to understand the what and the why. So yeah, get a life. Sure thing bud.Spunjji - Monday, September 28, 2020 - link
"MOVER ON" is the favourite slogan of the gaslighter. It's getting quite funny seeing the overlap between Intel defenders and Brexit shills.eastcoast_pete - Friday, September 25, 2020 - link
Now the "+++++" era is over, get ready for "10 nm super-duper fin" and "10 nm hyperfin"; "10 nm ultimate fin" is also a distinct possibility.Spunjji - Monday, September 28, 2020 - link
M-M-M-M-M-M-MONSTER FINFin
fin
ilkhan - Friday, September 25, 2020 - link
Y'all are aware nvidia announced some new gpus, right?Rudde - Saturday, September 26, 2020 - link
California wildfires happened and the gpu reviews were delayed.