Intel Panther Lake launched: CPU and GPU performance increased by up to 50%, competing directly with AMD and Nvidia

Intel has just officially revealed the architectural details of the latest generation of client processors – Intel Core Ultra Series 3, codenamed Panther Lake. This is also Intel's first product using the 18A process (equivalent to 2nm), expected to start shipping later this year.

According to Intel, Panther Lake will be equipped in a wide range of consumer and commercial devices, including AI-integrated PCs, gaming systems, as well as edge solutions. This new chip line uses a flexible multi-layer chiplet architecture, allowing Intel to customize for each product segment and different price points.

In terms of core configuration, Panther Lake will integrate up to 16 performance cores (P-core) and power-saving cores (E-core), providing 50% higher CPU performance than the previous generation (compared to Lunar Lake and Arrow Lake).

Graphics performance is also upgraded by 50%, thanks to the new generation Intel Arc GPU with up to 12 Xe cores. In addition, AI processing capabilities are boosted with performance reaching 180 Platform TOPS (trillions of calculations per second). Intel said Panther Lake is the perfect combination of Arrow Lake's performance and Lunar Lake's energy efficiency.

Intel is expanding Panther Lake's reach beyond PCs to robotics. The company is introducing the Intel Robotics AI software toolkit and a new reference board, helping developers build smart robots at an optimal cost while still ensuring advanced perception and control capabilities.

Mass production will begin this year, with the first Panther Lake models expected to ship before the end of 2025, and widespread distribution starting in January 2026, Intel said.

At the same time, Intel also revealed Clearwater Forest - the first server processor using the Intel 18A process, belonging to the Xeon 6+ series, expected to launch in the first half of 2026. This chip line has a maximum of 288 E-core cores, increases IPC performance by 17%, and significantly improves density and energy efficiency, targeting large-scale data centers, cloud providers and telecommunications.

Both Panther Lake and Clearwater Forest will be manufactured at Intel's Fab 52 factory in Chandler, Arizona.

Kareem Winters

Update 14 October 2025