Intel's Panther Lake mobile CPU lineup is expected to drop in the upcoming weeks, and the platform is highly anticipated since it will feature the 18A process technology. There's much to discuss on Panther Lake and an extensive roundup on what to expect.
There are several reasons why Intel's Panther Lake will be a 'decisive' release for Team Blue. Apart from the computing factors, there are also financial and political implications for Intel, especially under the Trump administration. While linking PTL's hardware capabilities to political factors may not be the right move here, the lineup will likely determine how Intel's 18A node has turned out, and it will also reveal whether Intel Foundry can lead U.S. chip manufacturing.
Before we dive into the technicals, let's discuss when Panther Lake SoCs will debut, since this is a somewhat 'disputed' topic. Based on what we know, Intel's PTL variants are slated for Q4 2025, and there aren't any delays anticipated yet; however, the important point to note here is that Intel plans Panther Lake HVM by Q1 2026, so it won't be until next year before we see mainstream computing products adopting the platform. Of course, Panther Lake production depends on how the 18A process turns out, and we'll talk about this ahead, including some 'exclusive' bits as well.
Intel's Panther Lake Mobile CPU Lineup: Here Are The Expected Lineups & Their Specifications
Intel's Panther Lake series will debut with the 'Core Ultra 300' series branding, since it is the next iteration of Lunar Lake, which has also been confirmed. Team Blue will stick with its Core Ultra naming scheme, which it initially introduced with Meteor Lake, and we do hope the SKU naming conventions are more straightforward to interpret with PTL.
Intel's Panther Lake is an interesting lineup, as we are now getting Panther Lake-H and Panther Lake-U configurations, with no signs of Panther Lake-HX. Since the HX variants are known for their high clock speeds and power consumption, Intel likely wants to 'ease' the pressure with 18A's first debut. In terms of architectural details, Intel's Panther Lake will feature Cougar Cove P-Cores and Darkmont E-Cores, with a total of five tiles on the chip, including GPU, SoC, and IO Tile. Overall, in terms of chiplet configuration, PTL is similar to Lunar Lake.
- Compute Tile (Intel 18A)
- Graphics Tile (Intel 3 or TSMC N3E)
- Platform Controller Tile (TSMC N6)
- Base Tile (Intel 1227.1)
- Filler Tile (N/A)
- Foveros Package
- CPU Interposer Package
We are also expected to see 'LP-E' cores on some Panther Lake SKUs, but these are anticipated for later variants, and the initial batch of U/H variants is not expected to include them. In terms of what individual SKUs could look like, here's a comprehensive table mentioning them according to previous rumors, including all PTL-H and PTL-U models.
Recent leaks have revealed the name of Intel's Panther Lake lineup, and the company is planning another minor change. Panther Lake SKUs will now feature the 'Core Ultra X' naming convention, and for reference, one of the flagship models will be the Core Ultra X9 388H. Here's a detailed rundown on the possible PTL configurations with their rumored naming:
Intel Panther Lake-H and U lineup (Preliminary)
| CPU Model | P-Cores (Cougar Cove) | E-Cores (Darkmont) | LP-E Cores (Skymont) | CPU Clocks (Max) | Xe3 iGPU Cores | iGPU Clock | TDP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Core Ultra X9 388H | 4 | 8 | 4 | 5.1 GHz | 12 (B390) | TBD | 25W (65-80W Turbo) |
| Core Ultra X9 386H | 4 | 8 | 4 | 4.9 GHz | 4 | TBD | 25W (65-80W Turbo) |
| Core Ultra X7 368H | 4 | 8 | 4 | 5.0 GHz | 12 (B390) | TBD | 25W (65-80W Turbo) |
| Core Ultra X7 366H | 4 | 8 | 4 | 4.8 GHz | 4 | TBD | 25W (65-80W Turbo) |
| Core Ultra X7 358H | 4 | 8 | 4 | 4.8 GHz | 12 (B390) | 2500 MHz | 25W (65-80W Turbo) |
| Core Ultra X7 356H | 4 | 8 | 4 | 4.7 GHz | 4 | TBD | 25W (65-80W Turbo) |
| Core Ultra 5 338H | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4.7 GHz | 10 (B370) | TBD | 25W (65-80W Turbo) |
| Core Ultra 5 336H | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4.6 GHz | 4 | TBD | 25W (65-80W Turbo) |
| Core Ultra 7 365 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 4.8 GHz | 4 | TBD | 25W (55W Turbo) |
| Core Ultra 7 355 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 4.7 GHz | 4 | TBD | 25W (55W Turbo) |
| Core Ultra 5 335 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 4.6 GHz | 4 | TBD | 25W (55W Turbo) |
| Core Ultra 5 325 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 4.5 GHz | 4 | TBD | 25W (55W Turbo) |
| Core Ultra 5 332 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 4.4 GHz | 2 | TBD | 25W (55W Turbo) |
| Core Ultra 5 322 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 4.4 GHz | 2 | TBD | 25W (55W Turbo) |
Intel is expected to retain four P-cores across most of the SKUs, and depending on how the firm plans to position the lineup, the primary changes will be made within E/LP-E core offerings. Memory support is another central area of improvement that isn't discussed much. PTL is claimed to support LPDDR5X at 6800/7467/8533 MT/s speeds for memory and DDR5 at 6400/7200 MT/s speeds. However, this isn't the only thing we are excited about, as PTL will also significantly improve another key area.
Panther Lake SKUs features Intel's 5th-generation NPU (Neural Processing Unit), which is basically an AI engine dedicated to edge AI workloads. Based on rumors, we are looking at up to 180 TOPS of AI power, significantly higher than Lunar Lake's NPU4 and exceeding competitor lineups such as AMD's Strix Halo. This suggests that when it comes to AI PCs, Panther Lake will experience widespread adoption, driven by architectural enhancements.
Of course, Panther Lake will debut with the Xe3 'Celestial' graphics architecture, marking its introduction to a computing platform. Xe3 is set to feature numerous upgrades over Xe2, and more importantly, it will show us about Intel's upcoming 'discrete GPUs', which will also be based on Celestial.
Intel's Xe3 'Celestial' GPUs: One of The Biggest Upgrades With Panther Lake
One of Panther Lake's biggest upgrades is the switch to the Xe3 'Celestial' GPU architecture. Based on past experience, significant upgrades are anticipated.
For example, the highest-end configuration for Panther Lake "Core Ultra 300" CPUs is expected to pack up to 12 Xe3 cores. Not only do these four more Xe cores surpass Lunar Lake, representing a 50% increase, but the new architecture will also help further boost performance, and we can expect new features and faster clock speeds. Of course, graphical computing has become increasingly important, especially since the race for APUs has become more competitive, following lineups such as Strix Point and Strix Halo from AMD.
Based on Intel's recent announcements at the Tech Tour, we were able to get a closer look at the Xe3 architecture, where the firm revealed tile configurations and several details, which can be viewed here. However, in terms of the more important details, Xe3 offers more than 50% performance compared to Lunar Lake at peak power & 40% higher performance per watt compared to Arrow Lake-H, which indicates a massive generational improvement.
With Battlemage' Xe2' on Lunar Lake, we saw Team Blue closing the gap with AMD's RDNA 3.5 iGPUs. Hence, with Xe3, the performance improvements will also be substantial, primarily driven by higher Xe cores and premium configurations, such as LPDDR5X memory onboard. And since Panther Lake is a 'true' 18A product, power consumption and efficiency figures would be a massive aspect for Intel, which would be necessary to nail down.
Xe3's debut in Panther Lake chips will be a crucial factor for the success of Intel's upcoming discrete GPUs as well, considering that after Battlemage, Celestial is expected to make an entry into the dGPU markets, which means PTL's graphics performance is definitely something to look forward to once the SKUs arrive in the market. Numerous upgrades are planned for Xe3, including advanced AV1 encoding, enhanced XMX engines, and improved power efficiency.
Intel's Panther Lake 'Exclusive' Demo & Insights From Computex 2025 & Tech Tour
Interestingly, many of you may have missed vital coverage from WCCFtech while we were on the Computex show floor. It was an 'exclusive' insight into a running demo of Intel's Panther Lake SKU, and we showed our readers images of Panther Lake dies and the engineering sample specifications. The processor featured 16 cores and 16 threads, with 1.6 MB of L1 cache, 24 MB of L2 cache, and 18 MB of L3 cache, and somewhat controversial clock speeds, given that it was an engineering unit. Nevertheless, the initial look was pretty exciting.
Back then, Panther Lake was in its development stages. Since the platform is just a few weeks away from its official launch, we expect its current state to be much more refined. A key factor to note here is that PTL will likely inform us of how 18A will turn out, and more importantly, it will be a crucial product in determining the direction of Intel's product and foundry business. This is a huge statement, but I say it with confidence. If Intel manages to nail Panther Lake and then Clearwater Forest, 18A will see a great reception from the industry.
At the ITT 2025, Intel revealed its PTL lineup in greater detail, specifically regarding how individual architectures have delivered performance enhancements. We saw Intel comparing Panther Lake against Arrow Lake and Lunar Lake, especially in terms of the 'Cougar Cove' and 'Darkmont' core configurations. However, for a quick summary, here were the details revealed:
| Component | Area of Improvement | Claimed / Measured Gain | Compared To |
|---|---|---|---|
| P-Cores (Cougar Cove) | IPC, branch prediction, TLB capacity | ~10–15% efficiency/performance at same power | Lion Cove / Arrow Lake |
| E-Cores (Darkmont) | Microarchitectural uplift | ~17% higher performance | Crestmont (Lunar Lake) |
| E-Core vs. Old P-Core | Performance parity | Darkmont ≈ Raptor Cove P-core | Same power level |
| Single-Threaded (overall) | Efficiency/performance scaling | +10% performance @ same power OR −40% power @ same perf | Lunar Lake / Arrow Lake |
| Multi-Threaded (overall) | Parallel scaling & efficiency | +50% performance @ same power OR −30% power @ same perf | Lunar Lake / Arrow Lake-H |
Intel's CPU business, in general, hasn't been in the best of places, especially in the desktop segment, where the past few releases have been disappointing. Lunar Lake was a grand launch on the mobile front, but it wasn't a 'true' Intel product, unlike the upcoming Panther Lake. PTL will show us how far the firm has come under former CEO Pat Gelsinger and whether his 'optimistic approach' towards the '5N4Y' process roadmap was right.
