Intel's Coffee Lake Platform Launch Approaches; Analyst Says Production Levels Remain Strong

Intel Corporation INTC is rumored to be on pace to launch its Coffee Lake chips sooner than expected, but analysts at BlueFin Research Partners expect an August timeframe launch.

May Production Levels

Intel's overall production levels remain strong across the fabs at Intel, according to BlueFin's Steve Mullane.

In a research report, the analyst stated that May's production estimate levels rose 1 to 2 percent compared to April's "strong start." In fact, Intel's production levels for the June quarter are tracking 100 basis points above forecasts and are higher by 6 percent sequentially.

Intel's 14nm technology node remains the key growth driver with Skylake-X and Kaby Lake-X ramping, the analyst suggested. Meanwhile, the key material suppliers aren't seeing any solid forecast ramps for the 10nm nodes but are "holding on for a possible ramp schedule" in the fourth quarter.

PC Shipping Update

PC shipments for the second quarter are on pace to fall in the 62 to 63 million unit range, which is two million units below the analyst previously expected. For the full year, total PC shipments are expected to be lower by 3 to 4 percent from 2016's level and total 263 million to 265 million units, a view that's closer to Intel's projections of a mid-single digit decline rate for the year.

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