With two different GPU architectures, Intel's Nova Lake S is reportedly the first one to offer Xe4-based capabilities.
Intel Nova Lake-S Processors Reportedly Getting Xe3 to Handle Graphics But Xe4 for Display and Media-Related Operations
It appears that Intel is as excited to use the Xe4 architecture as much as it is excited to release the Xe3 in its next CPU and GPU lineups. While still not officially confirmed, one of the prominent leakers, @jaykihn0, reported that the Intel Nova Lake-S will be the first to utilize the Xe4 architecture.
However, there is a catch. Unlike how the current and previous-gen Intel CPUs deployed a single architecture for the integrated graphics, Nova Lake-S will combine two different architectures to handle different operations. Meaning, it will combine both the Xe3 and Xe4 architectures on Nova Lake-S desktop processors to handle the graphics and display & media operations respectively.
Xe3 graphics + Xe4 display & media
— Jaykihn (@jaykihn0) June 4, 2025
Basically, what this means is that the Xe3, codenamed Celestial, will ensure that the iGPU handles the essential graphical workloads and the Xe4 (Druid) will take care of things like display output and video processing functions like encoding and decoding. Intel's approach shows that it wants to leverage the potential of the Xe3 in pure graphical loads while the xe4, likely to be highly power-efficient, will keep things light on the CPU.
With such modularity, the Nova Lake S can be both powerful and power-efficient, particularly helpful for the budget category chips, which can utilize fewer Xe3 cores and can be ideal for general workloads. It's really interesting to see Xe4 getting deployed as soon as 2026, which is the expected year of release for the Nova Lake S processors. Intel's Panther Lake for mobile, on the other hand, will be the first to utilize the Xe3 architecture and is likely to get unveiled before the end of this year.
Till then, Intel will take care of the desktop segment with Arrow Lake Refresh chips as well as the Barlett Lake-S, a P-Core-only series based on the Raptor Lake Refresh. Intel's Nova Lake-S will utilize a newer LGA 1954 socket, which we recently reported being identical in size to the LGA 1700 and LGA 1851. As far as the Xe4-based Druid graphics cards are concerned, it's unlikely that you will see them before 2027, but Intel is reportedly already working on them, as per recent reports.
About the author: Sarfraz Khan is a hardware reporter with a focus on PC components and the builder community. With years of experience writing about PC hardware and laptops, his work has been featured on several reputable technology publications. Sarfraz's hands-on experience is demonstrated through his first-person accounts of using and comparing different hardware configurations, providing practical and relatable insights for everyday users. His technical analysis is respected by peers in the enthusiast community and has been cited by specialized hardware sites such as Germany's Igor's Lab.
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