Data center energy efficiency stalls as Intel struggles to deliver

Intel’s protracted difficulties with its leading-edge processor manufacturing have garnered a great deal of attention over the past few years, as the world has watched a once unshakable technology lead diminish. Intel’s manufacturing development schedule has slipped so much that the company now finds itself at a major technology disadvantage when compared to leading competitors.

Nowhere is this disadvantage more glaring than in data centers, where Intel’s server chips that used to lead in all metrics have come to lag rivals in both performance and energy efficiency. Just as Intel encountered gargantuan technical challenges, TSMC, the world’s leading chip foundry, has pressed on successfully with ever more advanced technologies to the benefit of AMD (Advanced Micro Devices), NVIDIA, hyperscalers and many other chip designers.