Recently, a screenshot of a transportation manifest that appeared on social media gave the outside world a first look at the possible form of Intel’s next-generation desktop processor, Nova Lake-S. The phrase “NOVA LAKE S 28C,” which appeared multiple times on the list, has been interpreted as a 28-core pre-production sample. If this number is accurate, it will allow Nova Lake-S to surpass the current 24-core limit of Arrow Lake-S and Raptor Lake-S, marking the first time the core count has been further broken through on the desktop.
Combined with previous rumors, the 28-core design of Nova Lake-S may consist of 8 high-performance P-cores, 16 high-efficiency E-cores, and 4 low-power LP-E cores. This “three-tier structure” has previously appeared in Nova Lake mobile leaks, and if it is applied to the desktop platform, the total thread count could reach 36 (if hyper-threading is enabled). In contrast, Arrow Lake’s Core Ultra 9 285K still maintains an 8P+16E combination, with the total core count remaining at 24. It can be seen from this that the increase in Nova Lake is more concentrated in the efficiency core cluster rather than an increase in the number of P-cores, which means that the leap in multi-threaded performance will be more obvious than the single-core performance.
From an architectural perspective, Nova Lake will adopt Coyote Cove (P-core) and Arctic Wolf (E-core), and the manufacturing process will shift to Intel 18A and TSMC 2nm, which is a further step than the Intel 20A and TSMC N3B processes used by Arrow Lake. The advantages of transistor density and power consumption control brought about by the process iteration, combined with micro-architecture updates, are expected to improve both single-threaded and overall energy efficiency. Although the number of P-cores remains unchanged, IPC growth, cache optimization, and improved scheduling mechanisms may become the main drivers for improving single-core performance. The leaked document mentioned a TDP of 150W, but considering the historical trend of Intel’s high-end processors, the actual power consumption in the turbo state may be higher.
A vertical comparison of the current product line shows that the Raptor Lake-S flagship i9-13900K is configured with 8P+16E, for a total of 24 cores, based on the Intel 7 process, and was released in 2022. Arrow Lake-S is expected to be launched in October 2024, using Lion Cove and Skymont cores, with the process migrating to Intel 20A/N3B, and still maintaining a 24-core layout. The Nova Lake-S is rumored to debut in the second half of 2026, with the core count increasing to 28, and the platform migrating to the new LGA 1954 socket. This not only represents the evolution of the internal design of the processor but also means an update of the entire platform ecosystem, and motherboard and complete machine manufacturers will face a large-scale adaptation.
The increase in core count is likely a direct response to pressure from AMD. AMD has already shown an advantage in multi-threaded performance in the Zen 5 architecture Ryzen 8000 series, and the subsequent Zen 6 and Zen 7 are also in progress. If Intel only relies on 8 P-cores, it will be difficult to take the lead in a pure multi-threaded comparison. Therefore, Nova Lake is trying to regain competitiveness under parallel loads by increasing the number of E-cores and LP-E cores. At the same time, with the help of the 18A node, Intel also hopes to narrow the gap with its opponents in terms of energy efficiency and thermal design power.
Even so, Nova Lake-S does not mean an all-round crushing. While the core count increases, the improvement in single-threaded performance still depends on the architecture itself, and this part will determine its competitiveness in games and applications that rely on high IPC. For players and users who are sensitive to high frequencies, the perceived performance improvement may not be directly proportional to the number of cores, but to a greater extent depends on the frequency potential, cache system, and scheduling optimization. On the other hand, the emergence of the 28-core design and the new socket indicates that Intel will redefine the high-end positioning of its desktop product line, and consumers may need to re-evaluate their upgrade path and platform investment.
If the rumors are finally confirmed, Nova Lake-S will become one of the most breakthrough products in Intel’s desktop CPUs in recent years. The 28-core design, new micro-architecture, advanced process, and platform updates together mark a complete generational leap. For the market, this not only means the stacking of product parameters but also heralds that the desktop processor competition will enter a new stage. Against the backdrop of AMD and Intel’s continuous efforts, consumers are expected to usher in a completely different desktop CPU market landscape in 2026.