Full information about the upcoming Intel Panther Lake processor lineup, which will succeed Lunar Lake, has leaked online. According to data from the Chiphell forum, the company will release 12 models in the first wave, including flagship Core Ultra X, standard Core Ultra, and energy-efficient Panther Lake-U for ultrabooks.
The series will include four Core Ultra X processors: Core Ultra 9 X3X8H, Core Ultra 7 X3X8H, Core Ultra 5 X338H, and one unspecified variant. Four more chips belong to the 3X5H series, and the rest belong to the economical 3X0U. The main difference between them is the configuration of the integrated graphics. Versions with the X index will receive 12 Xe3 GPU cores on the Celestial architecture, Core Ultra 5 X338H will have 10 cores, and standard models will have only 4. All processors will retain the structure of 4 performance P-Cores and 8 energy-efficient E-Cores, and some will also have 4 LP-E cores.
Intel plans to clearly separate categories. The Core Ultra X series will be designed for gaming laptops and mobile workstations with increased TDP and improved graphics. Regular Core Ultra will be a balanced solution, and Panther Lake-U will be the basis for thin laptops, where the number of CPU cores will be limited to 6–8, and the GPU to four Xe3.
It is not yet clear how Intel will ultimately name the models. The company is testing two options: when the letter "X" is after the name (Core Ultra X7 3X8H) or before the number (Core Ultra 7 X3X8H).
Panther Lake will be the first Intel line on the 18A process technology. It will feature the Cougar Cove architecture for P-Cores and Darkmont for E-Cores. The release is expected in late 2025, and the first laptops on the new platform in early 2026. Intel expects that the transition to 18A will help regain leadership in performance.
