Intel Cannonlake chips will be the first architecture to use the 10nm process node, promising a performance boost over the current 14nm process. The die shrink designed for high performance at reduced power consumption is ideal for battery-powered devices particularly those with power issues and it also has LPDDR4 support allowing a 32GB MacBook Pro.

The 10nm process node is the next evolution of Intel's manufacturing process, but as die shrinks and chips get smaller, the production becomes more difficult and expensive. The Cannonlake chips were initially expected to arrive by the second half of the year, but poor yield results delayed its initial production. Now Venkata Rendunchintala, president of PC, internet of things and chip design at Intel hinted that there may be more delays ahead.

Renduchintala revealed during Intel's manufacturing event in March that Cannonlake chips will have shipments timeline that will be hard to pinpoint. She further states that towards the end of 2017 or the beginning of 2018 may be "too close a call." This suggests that mass production of the 10nm chips may commence by the first half of 2018 and its initial run will start by the second half, Apple Insider reported.

In truth, the Intel Cannonlake chips may not deliver the performance gains expected of it in the beginning. Renduchintala revealed in a chart that the 10nm chips will only be able to catch up with the 14nm in one to two years. In theory, the Cannonlake chips should be faster than the Kaby Lake but it will have fewer transistors initially than the more mature architecture.

Moreover, the revelations by Renduchintala suggest that there will be no PCs with Intel Cannonlake chips onboard for this year. The 10nm chips are expected to power battery-powered devices particularly those with battery drain issues. Instead, the PC industry can make use of the 14nm-based 8th generation Kaby Lake is now known as Coffee Lake.

Intel Coffee Lake chips claim to have a 15 percent boost over Kaby Lake, but it may not suffice for the MacBook Pro as Apple plans to upgrade it to 32GB of RAM. It is only Intel's Cannonlake chips that come with LPDDR4 support that allow a 32GB configuration without a new RAM controller, which will not be added by Apple anytime soon.

A MacBook Pro with Intel Cannonlake onboard may have to wait until next year when the new chips are ready for production. As of now, Intel's roadmap starts with low-powered devices and 2-in-1s since in most cases, PC makers want to see how the chips perform. As of now, upcoming PCs will have to do with the 7th generation Kaby Lake chips, Computer World reported.

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Topics Intel Kaby Lake