In a significant development for the American technology sector, Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan has expressed gratitude to former President Donald Trump for the administration's backing in revitalising domestic chip manufacturing. This follows a high-level meeting where Trump hailed the production of Intel's first "sub-2 nanometer" processors entirely within the United States as a national milestone.
A Presidential Endorsement for US Chipmaking
Donald Trump took to his Truth Social platform to announce the achievement, stating he had just concluded a "great meeting" with the Intel chief. He emphasised that the newly launched SUB 2 NANOMETER CPU PROCESSOR was designed, built, and packaged in the USA. Trump also highlighted the financial returns for the American public, claiming the U.S. government, as a shareholder, had made "Tens of Billions of Dollars" in just four months.
"We made a GREAT Deal, and so did Intel. Our Country is determined to bring leading edge Chip Manufacturing back to America, and that is exactly what is happening!!!" the former President added in his post.
Intel's Response and Product Launch Details
In response, Intel's Lip-Bu Tan acknowledged the support from the Trump administration. "Honored and delighted to have the full support and encouragement of @POTUS @realDonaldTrump," Tan stated. He confirmed that Intel is now shipping its latest Core Ultra Series 3 CPU processors, which utilise the most advanced semiconductor technology and are fully produced on American soil.
This product, unveiled at CES 2026, is notably the first AI PC chip family manufactured on Intel's advanced Intel 18A process node within the United States. The new Core Ultra Series 3 lineup introduces high-performance X9 and X7 tiers. These processors come with integrated Intel Arc graphics and are capable of delivering up to 50 NPU TOPS (Trillions of Operations Per Second) for accelerating artificial intelligence tasks.
Performance and Availability
According to Intel, these chips are engineered for power users who manage demanding workloads like gaming, content creation, and productivity applications. The top configurations boast up to 16 CPU cores, 12 Xe-cores, and the 50 NPU TOPS. The company promises substantial generational leaps, including up to 60% better multithreaded performance, over 77% faster gaming performance, and battery life extending to 27 hours.
For consumers eager to get their hands on this technology, the wait won't be long. Consumer laptops featuring the Core Ultra Series 3 processors are scheduled to arrive on the market in the second quarter of 2026 (Q2 2026). Intel has already opened pre-orders, with global shipping set to commence from January 27.
Implications for US Tech Sovereignty
This event is being framed as a pivotal moment in the broader effort to reshore advanced semiconductor manufacturing. The collaboration highlighted between a leading tech giant and the U.S. government underscores a strategic push to reduce dependency on foreign chip fabrication and secure the domestic supply chain. The successful design, manufacture, and packaging of a cutting-edge sub-2nm CPU entirely within the United States represents a concrete step towards reclaiming leadership in the global chip industry, a goal strongly advocated by the "Make in America" initiative.
