Intel Unveils Space-Grade 18A Starfire Processors

Intel's new Starfire processors utilize the 18A node for orbital computing, featuring radiation hardening and specialized power profiles.

Intel has officially designated its 18A node as space-grade, introducing the Starfire processor generation designed specifically for orbital operations. Built on an eight-core SoC design, the lineup includes two SKUs featuring four P-Cores and four LPE-Cores. The Low Power edition targets a 10W TDP with P-Cores at 1.0 GHz and LPE-Cores at 850 MHz, while the Performance SKU offers a 35W TDP with P-Cores at 3.1 GHz and LPE-Cores at 2.1 GHz. Both versions include an Intel 3 node GPU tile with 4 Xe cores (64 EUs) and an NPU providing up to 45 TOPS or 75 TOPS of INT8 compute respectively. Engineered for extreme environments, Starfire chips support a T-Junction range of -55°C to 125°C and carry TID, SEL, and SEE radiation hardening certifications. Intel expects to provide samples by Q3 2026.