Intel expects 14A to be 'within 5%' the performance of TSMC's A14

What happened

However, the statement deserves a closer examination. This was, to a large degree, attributed to Intel's historic focus on CPU performance, but not necessarily transistor density, as its own fabs have offset additional costs associated with larger dies.

These numbers should not be converted directly into a statement such as '18A is X% faster than N2,' because the processors use different architectures, voltages, standard-cell libraries, thermal envelopes, and physical implementations. However, they do provide a useful real-world reference point: the available N2 processors do not show a substantial frequency advantage over 18A.

If anything, the highest observed CPU frequencies favor Intel's process. In fact, advantages of Intel's 14A over TSMC's A14 can be calculated using the highest observed 18A and N2 CPU clocks combined with Intel's and TSMC's official iso power performance projections.