DBT Bureau
Pune, 13 Oct 2025
Intel revealed the architectural details for the company’s next generation client processor Intel Core Ultra series 3 (code-named Panther Lake) which is expected to begin shipping later this year. Panther Lake is the company’s first product built on Intel 18A, the most advanced semiconductor process ever developed and manufactured in the United States.
Intel also previewed Xeon 6+ (code-named Clearwater Forest), its first Intel 18A-based server processor, which is expected to launch in the first half of 2026. Both Panther Lake and Clearwater Forest, as well as multiple generations of products built on Intel 18A, are being manufactured at Fab 52, Intel’s new, state-of-the-art factory in Chandler, Arizona – a key milestone as Intel invests in strengthening American technology and manufacturing leadership and building a resilient semiconductor supply chain.
“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 to come,” said Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan. “Our next-gen compute platforms, combined with our leading-edge process technology, manufacturing and advanced packaging capabilities, are catalysts for innovation across our business as we build a new Intel. The United States has always been home to Intel’s most advanced R&D, product design and manufacturing – and we are proud to build on this legacy as we expand our domestic operations and bring new innovations to the market.”
Panther Lake: Scalable AI PC Performance Built on 18A
Set to power a broad spectrum of consumer and commercial AI PCs, gaming devices and edge solutions, Intel Core Ultra series 3 processors are the first client system-on-chips (SoCs) built on Intel 18A. Panther Lake introduces a scalable, multi-chiplet architecture that offers partners unprecedented flexibility across form factors, segments and price points.
Highlights include:
- Lunar Lake-level power efficiency and Arrow Lake-class performance.
- Up to 16 new performance-cores (P-cores) and efficient-cores (E-cores) delivering more than 50% faster CPU performance vs. previous generation.
- New Intel® Arc™ GPU with up to 12 Xe cores delivering more than 50% faster graphics performance vs. previous generation.
- Balanced XPU design for next-level AI acceleration with up to 180 Platform TOPS (trillions of operations per second).
Beyond the PC, Panther Lake will extend to edge applications including robotics. A new Intel Robotics AI software suite and reference board enables customers with sophisticated AI capabilities to rapidly innovate and develop cost-effective robots using Panther Lake for both controls and AI/perception.
Panther Lake will begin ramping high-volume production this year, with the first SKU slated to ship before the end of the year and broad market availability starting January 2026.
Clearwater Forest: Efficiency and Scale for the Modern Data Center
Clearwater Forest is Intel’s next generation E-core processor. Branded Intel Xeon 6+, this processor is the most efficient server processor the company has ever created and is built on Intel 18A. Intel plans to launch Xeon 6+ in the first half of 2026.
Highlights include:
- Up to 288 E-cores.
- 17% Instructions Per Cycle (IPC) uplift over prior generation.
- Considerable gains in density, throughput and power efficiency.
Tailored for hyperscale data centers, cloud providers, and telcos, Clearwater Forest enables organizations to scale workloads, reduce energy costs, and power more intelligent services.
Intel 18A: U.S. Technology Setting New Industry Standards
Intel 18A is the first 2-nanometer class node developed and manufactured in the United States, delivering up to 15% better performance per watt and 30% improved chip density compared to Intel 35. The node was developed, qualified for manufacturing and began early production at the company’s Oregon location and is now ramping toward high-volume production in Arizona.
Key innovations on Intel 18A include:
- RibbonFET: Intel’s first new transistor architecture in over a decade, enabling greater scaling and more efficient switching for improved performance and energy efficiency.
- PowerVia: A groundbreaking backside power delivery system, enhancing power flow and signal delivery.
Additionally, Foveros, Intel’s advanced packaging and 3D chip stacking technology, enables the stacking and integration of multiple chiplets into advanced SoC designs, delivering flexibility, scalability and performance at the system level.
Intel 18A forms the foundation for at least three upcoming generations of Intel’s client and server products.
Fab 52: Building on Intel’s Five Decades of U.S. R&D and Manufacturing Investment
Fab 52 is Intel’s fifth high-volume fab at its Ocotillo campus in Chandler, Arizona. This facility produces the most advanced logic chips in the United States and is part of the $100 billion Intel is investing to expand its domestic operations.
With advanced R&D and production in Oregon, high-volume fabrication in Arizona, and packaging operations in New Mexico, Intel is uniquely positioned to support key national priorities and provide strategic capacity for Intel Foundry customers. Fab 52 builds upon Intel’s 56 years of U.S. R&D and manufacturing advancement and marks a major milestone as the company builds a trusted leading-edge U.S. foundry for the AI era.
