Intel's "Razor Lake" is a next-generation processor lineup set to launch after the upcoming "Nova Lake" Core Ultra 400 series, scheduled for early 2027. Today, we learn that Intel is planning some "Razor Lake" production to be done on TSMC's N2X node, which is also scheduled for 2027. According to a well-known Intel leaker, Jaykihn, Intel's node of choice for "Razor Lake" will be the enhanced 2 nm design from TSMC. The N2X node is part of the N2 node family but is designed to maintain high frequencies at the cost of some power efficiency compared to the standard N2. This suggests that Intel is preparing to boost frequencies for its next-generation designs, likely to compete with AMD and introduce a performance-leading design.

However, N2X might not be the only node used for production, as Intel is known for dual-sourcing compute tiles, similar to the approach with the upcoming "Nova Lake." Last month, rumors emerged that Intel initially planned to outsource the main compute tile production for "Nova Lake" to TSMC, utilizing its 2 nm N2 node. The majority of the production, about 60-70%, was to be handled by TSMC, with the remainder produced in-house by Intel Foundry on the 18A node. This meant Intel would dual-source production for its next-generation chip. However, the latest supply chain information suggests that the company now intends to bring the majority of "Nova Lake" compute tile production in-house, with about 80-90% of the tiles being manufactured by Intel Foundry. The same could happen with "Razor Lake," depending on the performance of the 18A-P node. Image below is just an illustration.

Additionally, the leaker claims that "Razor Lake" will also introduce Intel's big Last Level Cache (bLLC) technology to laptop designs, which will boost gaming performance on mobile platforms. This also indicates that the upcoming "Nova Lake" laptop SKUs will not feature bLLC technology, which will only be present on the desktop SKUs that Intel will offer.