Intel unveils next-gen Panther Lake PC chips at CES 2026
What's the story
Intel has unveiled its latest chip, the Panther Lake, at the ongoing Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. The launch comes as a part of Intel's strategy to reassure investors about its next-generation manufacturing process, dubbed 18A. Jim Johnson, Intel's Senior Vice President and General Manager of the PC group, shared technical details about this new line of chips called Intel Core Ultra Series 3.
Technological advancement
Panther Lake chips: A leap in technology
The Panther Lake chips come with a new transistor design and an innovative power delivery system, both enabled by the 18A manufacturing process. Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan confirmed at the event that they have kept their promise by delivering products using this advanced process ahead of 2026. This is a significant milestone for Intel as it hopes to regain market share lost to Advanced Micro Devices (AMD).
Performance boost
Panther Lake chips promise superior performance
Intel has also revealed that its new Intel Core Ultra Series 3 chips will deliver a whopping 60% better performance than the previous-generation Lunar Lake Series 2. The company has also developed a separate graphics chiplet, which is a mini chip combined with other mini-chips to form a complete processor. This further enhances the capabilities of the Panther Lake chips.
Future prospects
Intel's plans for handheld video games and production challenges
Intel also plans to launch a platform for handheld video games based on the Panther Lake designs this year. However, the company has faced some challenges with the yield of these processors. Despite this, Intel executives have assured that yields are improving monthly and will pave the way for a successful launch this year.
Industry competition
AMD and NVIDIA's AI chip advancements
Meanwhile, AMD is also gearing up to launch new generations of PC chips focused on AI and graphics. The company has signed a multibillion-dollar deal with OpenAI for its next-generation MI400 chips, some of which are expected to be deployed this year. NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang also announced at CES that his company's next generation of chips was in "full production" and could deliver five times the AI computing power compared to previous models.