At the Morgan Stanley Technology, Media & Telecom Conference in San Francisco, Intel's Chief Financial Officer David Zinsner stated that CEO Pat Gelsinger is reconsidering offering the 18A manufacturing technology as a potential product to external customers. This adjustment may signal a shift from the company's turnaround strategy last year, when Gelsinger believed the technology should primarily be used for internal products to generate reasonable returns.

Zinsner noted at Wednesday's conference: "While Pat had thought we should probably make 14A the foundry node and keep 18A as truly just an internal node, we are now seeing some real progress, and I think he is beginning to recognize that this is actually a node suitable for external customers as well." Intel's stock price rose approximately 6% following the news, with chip stocks generally trending upward.

Reuters reported that only a small portion of chips manufactured using the 18A process meet customer quality requirements. Intel stated that its yield—the number of good chips per silicon wafer—is improving monthly. Low yields typically negatively impact a company's profit margins. Since becoming CEO, Gelsinger has implemented several major changes at Intel, including cutting about 20% of the workforce last year and adjusting the company's strategy to address the development of artificial intelligence.

Gelsinger has also committed to continuing the operation of Intel's factories and finding new customers for the next-generation 14A manufacturing technology. The 18A manufacturing technology, heavily invested in by former CEO Pat Gelsinger, may now become an important tool for Intel to expand into external markets.