Intel will use its recently updated process and manufacturing technology to power Ericsson’s 5G-focused radio access network (RAN) infrastructure, highlighting the push by both to extract more performance from the 5G cloud RAN ecosystem.

The agreement calls for Intel to use its 18A process technology to manufacture custom 5G system-on-chip (SoC) products for Ericsson. These will be used in Ericsson’s future 5G infrastructure.

Intel, which according to a new ABI Research report is the world’s largest semiconductor manufacturer, explained the 18A architecture will use its RibbonFET technology to support higher performance and a more densely packed chip footprint. The RibbonFET technology is the vendor's gate-all-around transistor that can provider faster transistor switching speeds using the same drive current as multiple legacy platforms in a smaller footprint.

The chip giant has touted this architecture as key to it gaining a “process leadership position in 2025.”

Intel did not provide any additional details on the deal, but past reports indicate the Intel platform will reportedly start to be manufactured in late 2024, which means its inclusion in Ericsson RAN equipment might not come until 2025 at the earliest.

The two have also expanded their ongoing work on using Intel’s Xeon processors that use its vRAN Boost technology in Ericsson’s Cloud RAN products. The vRAN Boost technology basically embeds an accelerator platform within the SoC architecture.

This expansion builds from the pair’s announcement during this year’s MWC Barcelona event to expand open RAN work based on Intel’s Xeon platform. Intel at that time unveiled the vRAN Boost-boosted version of its Xeon platform.

It also extends what has been a long-term partnership between Ericsson and Intel.

The pair last year struck a deal for Intel to be part of Ericsson’s California research lab. That work is targeted at illustrating how cloud native principles can improve the performance and efficiency of cloud 5G RAN equipment.

“We’re working together to explore technology not only in the near term, but also the over the three-to-five-year period to deliver solutions that communication service providers desire,” Dan Rodriguez, corporate VP and GM for Intel’s Network and Edge Group, said at the time. “You can think about how we’re going to be working on not only performance, but greater sustainability in the network, in addition to partnering with communication service providers on how to deliver greater levels of automation and [total cost of ownership] in this portion of the network.”

The two also worked together on Ericsson’s 5G Open RAN Lab launch in early 2021, and the vendor’s Cloud RAN mid-band push later that year.

The latest work also continues Intel’s growing push into the 5G telecom and RAN space.

The company earlier this year joined the ambitious Multi-G Initiative that is looking to open the RAN interface down to the layer-one (L1) silicon stack of a telecommunications network. The work is focused on disaggregating RAN intelligence and scheduling functions that can support updates to the underlying silicon architecture, with an initial focus on Intel’s FlexRAN architecture. This will allow that architecture to support higher capacity and software-defined deployments for legacy 4G LTE, current 5G and future next-generation wireless standards.

The initiative includes Intel, Juniper Networks, Mavenir and VMware, and carrier support from Bell Canada, Telstra and Vodafone.