When asked whether 18A is more geared towards high-performance compute (HPC) applications than anything else, Chandrasekaran said this was "absolutely right."

"There are certain aspects of 18A that's extremely powerful for compute applications, especially the backside power. It's going to be very beneficial for compute applications."

But he added that all the "learning" from implementing that process node will go into its successor technology, 14A.

"So as 14A comes in, there will be a broader market that 14A will address, including compute and mobile and other applications and also how the PDKs (process design kits) are done so that it's not just for with Intel, but it's also focused on the broader ecosystem taking 14A and applying it to their designs," Chandrasekaran said.

Does this mean 18A will be relegated to high margin server CPU (and some high-end consumer desktop/mobile SKUs?)