Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan holds a wafer of CPU tiles for the Intel Core Ultra series 3, code-named Panther Lake. (Credit: Intel Corporation)

Intel today took a major leap into the AI PC era with the official reveal of Panther Lake, its next-generation Intel® Core™ Ultra Series 3 processor family — and the company’s first client platform built on the all-new Intel 18A process node. The announcement marks a defining milestone for Intel’s manufacturing comeback and the future of AI-powered computing.

A New Era of AI PCs Begins

The Panther Lake platform, now in early production and set for high-volume manufacturing at Intel’s Fab 52 in Chandler, Arizona, represents a significant evolution in system-on-chip (SoC) design. Built on Intel 18A, the company’s most advanced semiconductor node ever developed and manufactured in the United States, Panther Lake combines cutting-edge CPU, GPU, and AI acceleration into a single balanced architecture.

“We are entering an exciting new era of computing, made possible by great leaps forward in semiconductor technology that will shape the future for decades,” said Lip-Bu Tan, CEO of Intel. “Our next-gen compute platforms, combined with our process and packaging leadership, are catalysts for innovation across every domain — from AI PCs to data centers.”

Panther Lake: AI-Driven Performance for Every Workflow

Panther Lake delivers a scalable, multi-chiplet architecture, optimized for AI PCs, gaming systems, and edge applications like robotics. It brings together Lunar Lake-level power efficiency and Arrow Lake-class performance, with:

• Up to 16 new performance (P) and efficient (E) cores for over 50% faster CPU performance versus the previous generation.

• An upgraded Intel® Arc™ GPU with up to 12 Xe cores, delivering 50% faster graphics performance.

• Integrated AI acceleration up to 180 TOPS (trillions of operations per second) for next-generation workloads.

• New Intel Robotics AI suite and reference boards, empowering developers to build cost-effective, AI-enabled robots.

High-volume production for Panther Lake begins this year, with first systems shipping by end of 2025 and broad market availability expected in early 2026.

Clearwater Forest: AI-Ready Efficiency for the Data Center

Intel also previewed Intel® Xeon® 6+ (code-named Clearwater Forest) — its first 18A-based server processor — slated to launch in the first half of 2026. Designed for hyperscale, cloud, and telco environments, Clearwater Forest introduces:

• Up to 288 E-cores, achieving a 17% IPC uplift over its predecessor.

• Major efficiency and density gains, reducing energy usage while scaling compute throughput.

This positions Intel’s server lineup as a key enabler for AI cloud and edge workloads, giving developers more power headroom for training, inferencing, and orchestration.

Intel 18A: U.S.-Built Node Powering the Future of Chips

Intel’s 18A process — a 2-nanometer-class technology — represents the company’s most advanced node to date and is fully developed and manufactured in the United States. Key innovations include:

• RibbonFET, Intel’s first new transistor architecture in over a decade, boosting performance and efficiency.

• PowerVia, a groundbreaking backside power delivery system that improves signal flow and reduces resistance.

• Foveros 3D chip stacking, enabling flexible multi-chiplet integration for more powerful SoCs.

The result: up to 15% better performance per watt and 30% higher density compared to Intel 3.

Fab 52: A New Benchmark for U.S. Semiconductor Manufacturing

Intel’s Fab 52 — the company’s newest high-volume manufacturing facility — is now fully operational at its Ocotillo campus in Arizona. The site anchors Intel’s $100 billion domestic expansion, reinforcing America’s leadership in advanced semiconductor manufacturing.

Fab 52 is part of Intel’s nationwide ecosystem: R&D in Oregon, manufacturing in Arizona, and packaging in New Mexico — a vertically integrated pipeline that supports both Intel products and its Intel Foundry Services customers.