Keysight has certified its RFPro electromagnetic simulation software for Intel Foundry’s Intel 18A-P and Intel 14A process technologies, extending pre-silicon design support to Intel’s next generation of advanced-node customers.
As reported by eeNews Europe and confirmed by Keysight’s July 27 announcement, the certification covers RFPro within the Advanced Design System (ADS) EDA suite. For RFIC and mixed-signal teams, the immediate benefit is a validated electromagnetic simulation flow tied to Intel Foundry process data before a design reaches tape-out.
That matters because parasitics, inductors, interconnects and other layout-dependent effects can make an RF or high-speed mixed-signal block behave very differently in silicon than it did in a circuit-only simulation. Catching those mismatches before fabrication is the practical goal: a leading-edge re-spin can cost substantial time as well as engineering and mask-budget capacity.
The announcement does not make Intel 14A generally available or guarantee that a customer design will meet targets. It gives design teams a certified tool path so that RFPro’s electromagnetic models can be used with Intel Foundry’s process design kits as those technologies move through their respective enablement stages.
Intel said in June that Intel 18A-P had entered risk production. The node is an enhancement of Intel 18A and retains design-rule compatibility with its predecessor, which should make reuse of existing IP and design flows more straightforward for teams already targeting 18A.
Intel 14A remains the longer-range platform. Intel describes it as using RibbonFET 2 gate-all-around transistors and PowerDirect backside power delivery. The company has presented its 14A performance, power and density claims as internal projections versus Intel 18A, rather than independently measured customer silicon results.
The new certification also continues a relationship that began with RFPro support for Intel 18A in 2024. Keysight and Intel Foundry are positioning the expanded coverage around RF, mixed-signal, AI and high-performance computing designs, where power delivery, dense routing and high-frequency structures make layout accuracy a first-order design concern.
For Windows-based engineering workstations, this is chiefly an EDA ecosystem update rather than a consumer-PC development: organizations adopting Intel Foundry’s advanced nodes can now plan RFPro-based simulation workflows for both the 18A-P transition and early 14A development. The meaningful test will be whether customer tape-outs turn that certified flow into fewer late design surprises and more first-pass silicon.
As reported by eeNews Europe and confirmed by Keysight’s July 27 announcement, the certification covers RFPro within the Advanced Design System (ADS) EDA suite. For RFIC and mixed-signal teams, the immediate benefit is a validated electromagnetic simulation flow tied to Intel Foundry process data before a design reaches tape-out.
That matters because parasitics, inductors, interconnects and other layout-dependent effects can make an RF or high-speed mixed-signal block behave very differently in silicon than it did in a circuit-only simulation. Catching those mismatches before fabrication is the practical goal: a leading-edge re-spin can cost substantial time as well as engineering and mask-budget capacity.
A design-enablement step, not a silicon launch
The announcement does not make Intel 14A generally available or guarantee that a customer design will meet targets. It gives design teams a certified tool path so that RFPro’s electromagnetic models can be used with Intel Foundry’s process design kits as those technologies move through their respective enablement stages.Intel said in June that Intel 18A-P had entered risk production. The node is an enhancement of Intel 18A and retains design-rule compatibility with its predecessor, which should make reuse of existing IP and design flows more straightforward for teams already targeting 18A.
Intel 14A remains the longer-range platform. Intel describes it as using RibbonFET 2 gate-all-around transistors and PowerDirect backside power delivery. The company has presented its 14A performance, power and density claims as internal projections versus Intel 18A, rather than independently measured customer silicon results.
Why EM co-simulation is increasingly important
RFPro is designed for electromagnetic analysis integrated into ADS and custom IC design environments. In practical terms, that lets engineers assess how physical layout affects circuits while tuning a design, instead of treating EM extraction as a separate late-stage signoff task.The new certification also continues a relationship that began with RFPro support for Intel 18A in 2024. Keysight and Intel Foundry are positioning the expanded coverage around RF, mixed-signal, AI and high-performance computing designs, where power delivery, dense routing and high-frequency structures make layout accuracy a first-order design concern.
For Windows-based engineering workstations, this is chiefly an EDA ecosystem update rather than a consumer-PC development: organizations adopting Intel Foundry’s advanced nodes can now plan RFPro-based simulation workflows for both the 18A-P transition and early 14A development. The meaningful test will be whether customer tape-outs turn that certified flow into fewer late design surprises and more first-pass silicon.
References
- Primary source: eeNews Europe
Published: 2026-07-29T07:23:26+00:00
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