Intel unveils Panther Lake, its first Core Ultra chips built on 18A

Intel launched Core Ultra Series 3 (codename Panther Lake) at CES, the first client processors made on its 18A process. Laptops were due to ship from January 27, and Intel cited more than 200 design wins. The launch was the first real test of whether 18A can run at volume in a consumer product.

• 14 SKUs, from the 16-core Core Ultra X9 388H down to 8-core parts
• Intel claims 30% higher transistor density and 50% better multithreaded performance per watt versus Lunar Lake and Arrow Lake
• Laptops ship from January 27, 2026; more than 200 design wins
• Only the compute die (CPU and NPU) is on 18A; the platform controller is made by TSMC