Intel Unveils Panther Lake Processors: A New Era of CPUs on 18A Process
Intel is set to make its most significant product launch in a decade today at CES 2026. The official unveiling of the Core Ultra Series 3 processors, codenamed Panther Lake, will be presented by Senior VP Jim Johnson at 3 PM PST. This launch marks the debut of Intel’s revolutionary 18A manufacturing process.
The Panther Lake chips are a technological marvel, merging the raw performance of Arrow Lake with the power efficiency of Lunar Lake. Initial testing reveals up to 50% faster CPU and GPU performance compared to previous generations. This is coupled with a 40% reduction in power consumption. The processors are equipped with new P-Core and E-Core architectures, next-generation Xe3 integrated graphics, and a 5th-generation Neural Processing Unit (NPU) capable of up to 180 Platform TOPS for AI acceleration.
This launch is a pivotal moment in Intel’s turnaround strategy. Panther Lake is the first client SoC built on the company’s highly anticipated 18A chip technology. Intel envisions the Core Ultra Series 3 as a unified platform for consumer and commercial AI PCs, gaming devices, and edge deployments. Broad market availability is scheduled for January 2026. Major laptop manufacturers such as Asus, Dell, Lenovo, and HP are expected to announce new systems powered by these processors throughout the week.
Source: https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/events/ces.html