At its Intel Tech Tour 2025, Intel provided a first look at its upcoming Intel Xeon 6+ server processor, code-named 'Clearwater Forest'. This next-generation E-core processor will be built on the company's most advanced 18A semiconductor node and is slated for launch in the first half of 2026. Designed for hyperscale data centers, cloud providers, and telecommunication companies, 'Clearwater Forest' will feature up to 288 E-cores and is expected to deliver a 17% improvement in instructions per cycle over its predecessor. On the same day, further details emerged about Intel's 'Panther Lake' processor, its first to be built on the 18A node. The Panther Lake chip will utilize a multi-tile architecture, with the CPU tile on the Intel 18A process and the GPU tile reportedly using TSMC's N3E process. The performance of these new chips is seen as critical to determining if Intel can stage a comeback in advanced process technology.