Intel recently revealed that its next-generation consumer CPU platform, Panther Lake, will launch in the second half of 2025, with plans for mass availability in early 2026. This processor will be the first to adopt Intel’s advanced 18A process node, marking a significant leap in the company’s chip manufacturing technology. Compared to the earlier Intel 3 process, the 18A node introduces multiple innovative packaging technologies and enhances performance and power efficiency through techniques like backside power delivery (PowerVia) and hybrid bonding. Intel stated that the 18A process will enter high-volume production by the end of 2025, paving the way for Panther Lake’s market debut.
Panther Lake is positioned as a mobile platform, inheriting the high performance of Arrow Lake and the excellent power efficiency of Lunar Lake, aiming to deliver a product that combines the strengths of both. Its core architecture features the all-new Cougar Cove performance cores (P-cores) and Skymont efficiency cores (E-cores). Based on available information, the top-tier configuration of Panther Lake may include 4 P-cores, 8 E-cores, and 4 low-power E-cores (LP-E cores), totaling 16 cores. Compared to its predecessor, Meteor Lake, the number of P-cores drops from 6 to 4, but the IPC (instructions per cycle) performance of each P-core sees a substantial boost. The addition of LP-E cores further optimizes power consumption for mobile devices.
In terms of graphics performance, Panther Lake brings a major upgrade with an integrated GPU (iGPU) based on the Xe3 Celestial architecture. This architecture is the next iteration after Xe2 “Battlemage,” featuring up to 12 Xe3 cores—a clear improvement over Lunar Lake’s 8 Xe2 cores. The Xe3 architecture delivers enhanced graphics processing capabilities, particularly excelling in AI tasks and lightweight gaming scenarios. Additionally, Panther Lake will integrate the fifth-generation Neural Processing Unit (NPU5), with a compute power expected to exceed 50 TOPS. Combined with contributions from the CPU and GPU, the chip’s total AI performance could reach up to 180 TOPS, meeting the growing demand for AI computing.
Panther Lake employs a chiplet design, with the main chip consisting of five modules: a compute module, a GPU module, an I/O module, an SOC controller, and a dummy tile. This modular design not only enhances manufacturing flexibility but also optimizes power distribution. Its TDP (thermal design power) ranges from 15W to 45W, covering a variety of use cases from ultrathin laptops to high-performance mobile workstations. For memory support, Panther Lake is expected to be compatible with high-speed LPDDR5X-8533 and DDR5-7200 memory, with some models potentially introducing LPCAMM2 modules to further improve bandwidth and efficiency. On the connectivity front, the chip will feature four Thunderbolt 4 ports and support Thunderbolt 5.0 via an independent PCH controller, offering faster external connection speeds.
As a key component of Intel’s mobile CPU roadmap, Panther Lake belongs to the Core Ultra 300 series, representing a comprehensive upgrade over the existing Core Ultra 200 (Lunar Lake) and Core Ultra 100 (Meteor Lake) lines. Unlike Lunar Lake, which relied on TSMC’s 3nm process, Panther Lake’s compute cores and critical modules will almost entirely be produced using Intel’s in-house 18A process. Notably, by the end of 2024, Intel had delivered Panther Lake engineering samples to eight customers, including Lenovo, and successfully completed boot-up tests, indicating smooth progress in its development.
Looking ahead, following Panther Lake, Intel plans to launch the Nova Lake processor, targeting a late 2026 release. This product will cater to both mobile and desktop markets, with its top configuration potentially featuring 52 cores (16 P-cores, 32 E-cores, and 4 LP-E cores) and a massive 144MB cache, delivering exceptional multi-core performance. Nova Lake will continue to use the 18A process and further increase the proportion of in-house fabrication, strengthening Intel’s competitiveness in chip manufacturing.
The launch of Panther Lake is not only a testament to Intel’s technological innovation but also a critical step in its IDM 2.0 strategy. The successful mass production of the 18A process will directly impact Intel’s ability to gain an edge over competitors like TSMC and Samsung. By comparison, TSMC’s 2nm process is not expected to implement backside power delivery until 2027, while Intel has already adopted this technology in 18A. Furthermore, Panther Lake’s diverse SKU lineup—including the low-power 15W PTL-U series and the high-performance 45W PTL-H series—can cater to a wide range of user needs, reinforcing its position in the mobile market. As mass production approaches, this processor’s performance is undoubtedly set to become a focal point for tech enthusiasts.