Milestones
- Tunnel Falls 12-qubit chip released to researchers15 Jun 2023Complete.
- Nature paper on 300 mm spin-qubit uniformityMay 2024Complete.
Most important updates
- Oct 2022
- Dec 2020
- Dec 2019
- Jun 2018
Current obstacles
- Qubit variabilityEach qubit differs slightly due to atomic defects, so big arrays need individual tuning and lots of wiring.
Physics limits
- Qubits need about 0.1 kelvinSpin qubits must be cooled close to absolute zero in a dilution fridge. Cooling power at the coldest stage is tiny (microwatts), which limits how much wiring and electronics can sit next to them.
- Every stray charge shifts a qubitEach qubit is one electron in a dot tens of nanometres wide. A single stray charge or atomic defect nearby changes its energy, so every qubit needs its own tuning and variation grows with count.
- Nuclear spins in silicon add noiseNatural silicon is 4.7% silicon-29, whose nuclear spins jostle the electron's spin. Purified silicon-28 helps a lot, but leftover isotopes and interfaces still limit how long qubits stay coherent.
How it works
Qubit
One electron's spin
A single electron is trapped under a gate electrode in silicon. Its spin, up or down, stores the qubit and is flipped by microwave pulses.
Fab
Made like transistors
The quantum dots, about 50 nm across, are made on Intel's 300 mm lines with the same tools as normal chips, so very large counts are possible in principle.
Control
Cold control chips
Intel's Horse Ridge controllers run at about 4 K inside the fridge, cutting the number of cables that must run out to room temperature.
Papers & demos
- Jun 2023demoTunnel Falls 12-qubit silicon spin chipShowed quantum bits made on the same 300 mm lines as normal transistors.
Update log
Oct 2022
- Minor: PressResearch
Dec 2020
- Minor: BlogHardware
Dec 2019
- Minor: PressHardware
Jun 2018
- Minor: PressResearch
About Intel
Intel
PC and server CPUs, Intel Foundry, 18A, 14A
Intel, founded in 1968, invented the commercial microprocessor. After falling behind TSMC in chipmaking, it is trying to catch up with its 18A node and win outside customers for its factories. In 2025 the US government took about a 10% stake.
- Panther Lake, the first 18A chip, launched in January 2026 from Fab 52 in Arizona.
- US government took about 9.9% in Aug 2025. NVIDIA ($5B) and SoftBank ($2B) also invested.
- Lip-Bu Tan became CEO in March 2025 and cut costs and jobs sharply.
- Founded
- 196858 yrs
- Headquarters
- United States
- Status
- Public
- Listed
- INTC (opens google.com)NASDAQ
- Valuation
- public
- Staff
- ~108,900Dec 2024
- Raised
- $7B2 rounds
- Last round
- Strategic investment · $5BSep 2025
- Works in
- ComputingChip factories (foundries)QuantumManufacturing
- Coverage
- 3 programs · 16 updateslatest 1 Jan 2026checked 25 Sep
- Lead investors
- NVIDIAUS GovernmentSoftBank
- Investors
- US Government (opens intc.com)NVIDIA
- Suppliers
- ASML
- People
- Lip-Bu Tan (opens en.wikipedia.org)CEONaga ChandrasekaranCTO and COO, Intel Foundry