Ericsson to Utilize Intel’s 4nm Manufacturing Process for RAN Computing Chips

Intel Foundry Services continues to forge significant partnerships, with Ericsson Networks now set to utilize Intel’s 4-nanometer lithography for their next-generation chips. Specifically, Ericsson will manufacture its new chips focused on 5G and Artificial Intelligence at Intel’s foundries. These chips will complement the company’s Radio Access Network (RAN) computing product portfolio.

This development should not come as a surprise, as earlier this year, Ericsson also chose Intel to produce the world’s smallest 5G chips using Intel’s 18-nanometer lithography. Hence, Ericsson is securing its piece of the chip production pie to ensure it does not fall behind in the market.

These advancements enable communication service providers to build their networks with more advanced, reconfigurable, resilient, and future-ready computing solutions. This, in turn, allows providers to focus on improving the low-band spectrum efficiency, extending mid-band coverage, and maximizing capacity for high-band demanding use cases, regardless of centralized or decentralized deployment scenarios.

The Ericsson agreement and Intel’s 4-nanometer lithography are tied to their RAN (mobile communication networks).

Two months ago, Vodafone announced a partnership with Intel, aiming to utilize Intel’s cutting-edge manufacturing processes, much like Ericsson, to bring its Open RAN infrastructure to life and deliver 5G and 4G mobile connectivity. In this case, Ericsson will focus on 5G and AI. Intel will be responsible for manufacturing Ericsson’s RAN 6672 and 6655 processors, along with the 6372 and 6355 radio processors. This hardware will be essential for Open RAN deployments and for implementing the Advanced RAN AI algorithms.

Interestingly, Ericsson will be the first company outside of Intel to use the Intel 4 manufacturing process. The first product to debut this technology will be the Intel Meteor Lake CPUs, set to arrive in December. This also demonstrates that TSMC is already overwhelmed with orders, and the industry has little faith in Samsung Foundry’s capabilities.

According to Ericsson, their new RAN processors, manufactured by Intel, will be up to twice as energy-efficient as their predecessors. Furthermore, compared to their competitors, these processors will consume between 30% and 60% less energy.

The RAN 6672 processor and the 6372 radio processor are flagship high-capacity processors for box and outdoor formats. They offer four times more capacity and are twice as energy-efficient compared to the previous generation while supporting up to six 4G and 5G mode configurations, all in a single unit.

In summary, Ericsson will use Intel’s 4-nanometer manufacturing process for its RAN computing chips, marking a significant partnership between the two companies.