Intel expects foundry customers in H2

Intel’s foundry pitch now rests on a simple claim: the manufacturing is improving fast enough to win outside customers. On May 18, Chief Executive Lip-Bu Tan said Intel expects “multiple” foundry customer commitments in the second half of 2026 as yields improve and internal decisions move faster. The comments matter because Intel has spent years telling investors it can become a contract manufacturer for other chip designers, while still trying to prove it can execute on process technology, packaging and customer service. Tan’s recent public remarks tie those pieces together — better 18A yields, flatter management and tighter engineering control. ### Why are investors focused on “customer commitments” instead of just process milestones? Lip-Bu Tan told CNBC that Intel Foundry is “gaining traction” and that the company expects multiple customer commitments in the second half of the year. That wording stops short of announcing signed, named production customers, but it points to a stage beyond technical curiosity. For a foundry business, customer commitments are the point where process claims begin to turn into commercial demand. Yahoo Finance’s account of the interview said Tan linked that expected progress to improving yields on Intel’s 18A process. Yield is one of the core measures of whether a chip process can be manufactured efficiently and at usable scale. Tan said 18A has been improving by roughly 7% to 8% a month, according to the Yahoo report. ### What exactly is Tan saying has changed inside Intel? Benzinga reported that Tan described a “new Intel” built around faster decisions, flatter management and execution over bureaucracy. In that account, Tan said the company is trying to operate at the “speed of light,” a phrase he used to describe how quickly decisions should move. PC Gamer, citing Tan’s CNBC interview, reported that he said all engineering now reports directly to him. Tan said, “From day one I came on board as a CEO, I have all the engineering report to me,” contrasting that structure with the prior setup. He also said Intel had made “a lot of mistakes” and was simplifying its roadmap. ### Why does engineering accountability matter so much in a foundry business? Intel is not selling only wafers. A foundry customer is buying process reliability, packaging capability, engineering support and confidence that the manufacturing roadmap will hold. Tan’s comments suggest Intel believes those softer commercial factors are being repaired alongside the technical work. CNBC’s May 18 report said Tan tied customer interest directly to better manufacturing yields. That is important because foundry customers typically make decisions after extended technical engagement, not on branding alone. If yields are rising and engineers are closer to decision-makers, Intel can argue that customer problems will be addressed faster. ### What is still missing from Intel’s story? Intel has not yet publicly named the multiple foundry customers Tan expects to commit in the second half of 2026. The company also has not, in these recent interviews, attached those expected commitments to a disclosed revenue figure or production timeline. That leaves the next proof point outside the rhetoric. Investors will be looking for named customers, capacity reservations, node-specific design wins or updated foundry revenue disclosures. Those details would show whether Intel’s 18A gains and management changes are translating into booked business rather than interest. ### What should readers watch next? The second half of 2026 is now the key window Tan has put on the calendar. Intel’s next earnings updates and any foundry-specific announcements will be the places to watch for named customer commitments, additional 18A yield data and signs that external demand is moving from evaluation to contracts.