You can expect “multiple” 10nm chips throughout 2019 and 2020, including a general-purpose GPU, server-side processors and specialized parts like the AI-oriented Nervana.

You’ll have to wait a while for the leap to 7nm. The first product based on the smaller and denser technology, an Xe-based general-purpose GPU, isn’t due until 2021. At least you can expect reasonable gains from it. Intel is expecting a roughly 20 percent boost in performance per watt, and the extreme ultraviolet lithography needed to make it should be useful for “multiple” generations of smaller processes.

In many ways, Intel is opening the floodgates. Intel’s struggle to manufacture 10nm chips has held the company back, giving rivals like AMD (not to mention companies using ARM-based chips) a chance to catch up and sometimes outrun its hardware. While their processes aren’t always comparable (AMD’s 7nm won’t be as meaningful as Intel’s), that’s not a good look for a company that once prided itself on consistently offering the fastest CPUs. Intel can finally start offering sizeable generation-to-generation improvements without having to tack on more cores, and everyday users might have better reasons to upgrade their PC after years of skipping incremental Intel revisions.