Intel Announces Panther Lake Launch Scheduled for Late 2025, Leading to Nova Lake CPUs in 2026

Intel has announced that its upcoming CPU series is on schedule, with the Panther Lake lineup set to enter mass production in the second half of 2025, followed by the launch of Nova Lake in 2026.

Intel’s Commitment to Client CPU Roadmap: Panther Lake and Nova Lake Release Timeline

In a recent update, Intel reaffirmed its dedication to its client CPU roadmap, despite previously abandoning the Falcon Shores project for the data center sector. During the Q4 2024 earnings call, the company confirmed that the plans for its client CPUs remain intact.

Intel’s Co-CEO, Michelle Johnston Holthaus, highlighted that the Panther Lake series is on track for a late 2025 release, coinciding with its commencement of mass production. While Intel has not specified whether Panther Lake will be available for desktops, the timeline indicates that the CPUs will begin reaching consumers by the end of 2025.

Looking ahead to the rest of the year, we will strengthen our client roadmap with the launch of Panther Lake, our lead product on Intel 18A, in the second half of 2025. As the first volume customer of Intel 18A, I see the progress that Intel Foundry is making on performance and yields. And I look forward to being in production in the second half as we demonstrate the benefits of our world-class design and process technology capabilities.

Intel confirmed that Panther Lake will be its inaugural product utilizing the advanced 18A process technology, which promises a ‘world-class’ manufacturing capability. Looking further, the Nova Lake CPU lineup is anticipated to debut in 2026, catering to both mobile and desktop markets, indicating strong potential for profitability in the client CPU sector.

2026 is even more exciting from a client perspective as Panther Lake achieves meaningful volumes, and we introduce our next-generation client family code-named Nova Lake. Both will provide strong performance across the entire PC stack with significantly better cost and margin for us, enhancing our competitive position and reinforcing our value proposition to our partners and customers.

Rumors suggest that mobile Panther Lake-H CPUs could be unveiled at CES 2026. However, recent insights imply these CPUs might debut earlier than initially planned. It seems less likely that a desktop variant of Panther Lake will be introduced before its mobile counterparts, as Holthaus indicated that Panther Lake will build upon the strengths of its predecessor, Lunar Lake (via PC World).

Early benchmarks for Intel’s Panther Lake have started surfacing on various websites, including a listing on SiSoftware (via @GawroskiT).It is common for early samples to reflect lower-than-anticipated performance, hence further testing will be necessary for a comprehensive evaluation.

Comparison of Intel Desktop CPU Generations:

Intel CPU Family	Processor Process	Processor Architecture	Graphics Architecture	Processor Cores/Threads (Max)	Platform	Memory Support	PCIe Support	Launch
Alder Lake (12th Gen)	Intel 7	Golden Cove (P-Core)Gracemont (E-Core)	HD 700 Series	16/24	LGA 1700/1800	DDR5 / DDR4	PCIe Gen 5.0	2021
Raptor Lake (13th Gen)	Intel 7	Raptor Cove (P-Core)Gracemont (E-Core)	HD 700 Series	24/32	LGA 1700/1800	DDR5 / DDR4	PCIe Gen 5.0	2022
Raptor Lake Refresh (14th Gen)	Intel 7	Raptor Cove (P-Core)Gracemont (E-Core)	HD 700 Series	24/32	LGA 1700/1800	DDR5 / DDR4	PCIe Gen 5.0	2023
Arrow Lake (Core Ultra 200)	TSMC N3B?	Lion Cove (P-Core)Skymont (E-Core)	Xe1 (Alchemist)	24/24	LGA 1851	DDR5	PCIe Gen 5.0	2024
Arrow Lake Refresh (Canceled)	TSMC N3B?	Lion Cove (P-Core)Skymont (E-Core)	Xe1 (Alchemist)	TBD	LGA 1851	DDR5	PCIe Gen 5.0	2025
Nova Lake (Core Ultra 400?)	TBA	Coyote Cove (P-Core)Arctic Wolf (E-Core)	TBA	TBA	TBA	DDR5?	PCIe Gen 6.0?	2026
Razer Lake (Core Ultra 500?)	TBA	TBA	TBA	TBA	TBA	TBA	TBA	2027?