New announcements from Intel: Core Ultra 300 Panther Lake processors

A new series of Core Ultra 300 Panther Lake processors will be presented at CES 2026, but the company has already revealed some technical specifications. The new series will feature Xe3 graphics, Intel 18A process technology, and new cores.

Features of the Panther Lake architecture

The Core Ultra 300 processor platform is based on three main components: a graphics module on TSMC N3E or Intel 3, a computing module on Intel 18A, and a controller on TSMC N6. All these main components are combined via the Foveros-S platform, thus creating an energy-efficient system where all elements function as a single unit.

The new processors will feature higher CPU speeds compared to the previous generation and will be available with up to 16 cores. Higher performance levels are also expected.

Cougar Cove P-cores are based on an improved architecture and have a larger cache. Darkmont E-cores are a faster and improved version of Skymont. A cluster of 4 E-cores will have a shared cache memory of 4MB.  

Furthermore, the Panther Lake architecture will have an additional Low Power Efficiency cluster located directly on the computing module. With this 4-core cluster, it is possible to perform background tasks without activating the main processor cores. This approach can significantly reduce power consumption.

It also supports LPDDR5X-9600 and DDR5-7200 RAM, which guarantees greater capacity and better bandwidth.

The new series of processors will be available in the following configurations:

• 16 cores (4P + 8E + 4 LP-E)
• 8 cores (4P + 4 LP-E)
• 16 cores with 12 Xe3-core graphics

AI support and Xe3 graphics

The Xe3 architecture is available in two variants: 12 or 4 Xe cores. The ray tracing unit, cache, and shadow processing speed have also been improved.

A new technology called XeSS 3 has been introduced, which creates several intermediate frames to improve the image. The company is also working on a new feature that will be used to independently select the frame generation mode.

The overall system performance reaches 180 TOPS, which is sufficient for generative models and AI analytics without the use of cloud services.

Mass production is scheduled for the end of this year, and the first laptops with Panther Lake will appear in early 2026.