At CES 2026, Intel officially rolled out its new Core Ultra 3 series processors, codenamed Panther Lake. This series represents Intel's inaugural consumer-level offering built on the cutting-edge 18A process technology, incorporating a modular architecture. The compute module leverages the 18A process, while the graphics module adopts TSMC's N3E process for high-end variants and Intel's 3 process for mainstream versions. The platform control module utilizes TSMC's N6 process, and the base module is based on Intel's 16 process. All these components are seamlessly integrated through Foveros-S packaging technology.

In terms of performance enhancements, the single-core performance witnesses an over 10% uplift compared to its predecessor, Lunar Lake, with multi-threaded performance surging by over 50%. These processors boast up to 16 cores, with top-tier models featuring performance cores capable of reaching a maximum turbo frequency of up to 5.1GHz. Memory support is extended to LPDDR5x, operating at speeds up to 9600MT/s, and the expansion capabilities encompass two PCIe configurations. All processors inherently provide four Thunderbolt 4 interfaces.

Consumer-grade laptops equipped with these processors commenced pre-sales on January 6th, with a global rollout scheduled for January 27th. Embedded systems are anticipated to be shipped in the second quarter of 2026.