Follow : Add us as a preferred source on Google.

Key takeaways

• Intel unveiled its Panther Lake Series 3 processors at CES. 
• First large-scale chips made with 18A manufacturing process.
• Next-generation power efficiency and increased AI performance. 

Intel officially announced its next generation of processors at its CES 2026 keynote: the Core Ultra Series 3 "Panther Lake," and Intel says they're poised to deliver the highest power efficiency, graphics power, and, of course, AI performance yet.

Built on new 18A node

The keynote kicked off the start of CES 2026 in Las Vegas, with Intel Senior VP Jim Johnson taking to the stage to officially launch the Panther Lake processor family -- the first built on its new 18A node and boasting nearly 50 percent more performance than its Lunar Lake chips, while harnessing greater power efficiency.

Also: CES 2026 live blog: Latest news on TVs, AI, phones, more

They're powerful chips, featuring up to 16 cores, a built-in Intel Arc GPU with Xe3 chip architecture, and a new NPU with up to 50 TOPS, while supporting LPDDR5 memory up to 96GB at speeds of up to 9,600 MT/s and DDR5 up to 128GB.

The new 18A base configuration comes on eight cores: four P-cores and four LP-cores, with the new Xe3 GPU supporting 3.8 times more TOPS over the previous Arrow Lake generation of chips.

New class of processors

Panther Lake brings with it a new class of processors it's calling Core Ultra X9 and X7, which come with Intel Arc graphics for advanced workloads, gaming, and content creation. These chips will feature up to 16 CPU cores, 12 Xe cores, and 50 NPU TOPS.

Also: HP's EliteBook X G2i could be the ultraportable business laptop I've been waiting for

Intel's Panther Lake processors have already made their way into the main computer and laptop manufacturers products for 2026, including some of the most exciting products we've seen so far at CES, such as the return of the Dell XPS and the HP EliteBook G2i, coming at a time of increased scrutiny on the chip manufacturer's performance.

Power efficiency

Intel's keynote was set to counter any doubts about its confidence, however, with Panther Lake's power efficiency as a recurring theme, bolstered by real-world comparisons.

Johnson's mention of the company's "maniacal" focus on efficiency enables the chips to stream 4K video, for example, by drawing one third of the power than previous generations, allowing users to measure power in days, not hours.

Also: Everything announced at Intel's CES event in 9 minutes

I went hands-on with several Lunar Lake laptops last year and saw first-hand some seriously impressive power efficiency. Looking at 2026's lineup, we're already seeing impressive numbers, including battery life going into 40 hours and beyond. As with anything, we'll have to go hands-on to see performance first-hand, but 2026 is shaping up to have some exciting developments in store.

CES

CES 2026 live updates: Biggest news on TVs, laptops, and weird gadgets

Best of CES 2026 awards: CNET Group names 22 winners and best overall

I saw a two-legged Roborock that is rocking the robot vacuum market at CES 2026

Asus delivers Wi-Fi 8 sneak peek at CES: Is this the shape of routers to come?

• CES 2026 live updates: Biggest news on TVs, laptops, and weird gadgets
• Best of CES 2026 awards: CNET Group names 22 winners and best overall
• I saw a two-legged Roborock that is rocking the robot vacuum market at CES 2026
• Asus delivers Wi-Fi 8 sneak peek at CES: Is this the shape of routers to come?