Intel Unveils Cutting-Edge Panther Lake Chips Built on its 2nm 18A Process

Intel has officially announced its next-generation Panther Lake processors, part of the Core Ultra Series 3 lineup. And it’s built on the 2nm Intel 18A manufacturing process. Per the announcement, the chips will be produced at Intel’s Fab 52 in Chandler, Arizona, in the company’s bid to reclaim U.S. semiconductor leadership.

Intel describes 18A as its most advanced semiconductor node ever, offering up to 15% better performance per watt and 30% higher chip density than its previous generation. But while the launch highlights a milestone in American chipmaking, Panther Lake isn’t entirely manufactured in the US.

The processors use a chiplet-based architecture, dividing the system into separate compute, GPU, and controller tiles. Only the compute tile is manufactured on Intel’s 18A node, while the remaining components are produced by TSMC in Taiwan before being assembled in the U.S.

Designed for next-gen AI PCs, gaming laptops, and edge devices, Panther Lake delivers what Intel calls “Lunar Lake-level efficiency and Arrow Lake-class performance.” It features up to 16 hybrid cores, an upgraded Intel Arc GPU with 12 Xe cores, and a 50 TOPS NPU for on-device AI acceleration.

Connectivity also gets a boost with Wi-Fi 7 Release 2, Bluetooth 6.0 with Auracast, and Thunderbolt 4 support. However, Thunderbolt 5 isn’t available for now. Intel plans to ship the first Panther Lake systems by December 2025, with broader availability expected in early 2026, coinciding with CES.

via: Business Wire