Panther Lake will begin high-volume production at Intel’s newest factory in Arizona later this year as the company continues to invest in US technology and manufacturing leadership.  

News Highlights 

• Intel is previewing its Intel Core Ultra Series 3 processors, known as Panther Lake. These are the first client SoCs built on Intel 18A.  

• Panther Lake is already in production, on schedule to meet customer commitments, and is set to become the industry’s most widely used PC platform.  

• Intel’s Xeon 6+ (Code named “Clear Water Forest”) is Intel’s next-generation server product on 18A, and it is already exhibiting significant improvements in power and performance.  

• Intel 18A is the most advanced semiconductor node developed and manufactured in the United States.  

• Arizona’s Fab 52 is now fully operational and will begin high-volume production with Intel 18A later this year, further strengthening US technology and manufacturing leadership.  

Today, Intel shared information on its next-generation client processor, the Intel Core Ultra Series 3, also known as Panther Lake. This processor is expected to start shipping later this year. Panther Lake is the first product built on Intel 18A, the most advanced semiconductor process developed and made in the United States.  

Intel also introduced the Xeon 6+ (Clearwater Forest), its first-ever processor built on Atina. This processor is expected to launch in the first half of 2026. Panther Lake Clearwater Forest will have and will continue to have future Intel A products. These products are being made at Fab52, Intel’s new advanced factory in Chandler, Arizona. This represents an important step as Intel invests in American technology, manufacturing leadership, and a stronger semiconductor supply chain.  

We are entering an exciting new era of computing, made possible by great leaps forward within semiconductor technology that will shape the future for decades to come, said Intel CEO Lip Bu Tan. Our next-gen compute platforms, combined with our leading-edge process technology, manufacturing, and advanced packaging capabilities, are engines of innovation across our business. As we build a new Intel, the United States has always been home to Intel’s most advanced R&D, product design, and manufacturing. We are proud to build on this heritage as we expand our domestic operations and bring innovations to the market.  

Panther Lake Scalable AI PC Performance Built on 18A 

Intel Core Ultra Series 3 processors will power a wide range of consumer and commercial AI PCs, gaming devices, and edge solutions. They are the first client systems on chips built on 18A. Panther Lake uses a scalable multi-series chip-led design that gives partners greater flexibility across devices, markets, and price ranges.  

Main features include:  

• Power efficiency similar to Lunar Lake and performance on par with Arrow Lake.  

• Up to 16 new performance cores (P-cores) and efficient cores (E-cores) deliver over 50% faster CPU performance than the previous generation.  

• The new Intel Arc GPU has up to 12 XE cores and offers 50% faster graphics performance than the previous generation.  

• A balanced XPU design enables advanced AI acceleration reaching up to 180 platform TOPS (trillions of operations per second).  

Panther Lake will also be used in edge applications, such as robotics. Intel is supplying a new Robotics AI Software Suite and reference board, helping customers quickly create advanced, cost-effective robots that use Panther Lake for both control and AI tasks.  

Panther Lake will start high-volume production this year. The first units are expected to ship before the end of the year, with wider availability beginning in January 2026.  

Clearwater Forest: Efficiency and Scale for the Modern Data Center 

Clearwater Forest is Intel’s next-generation E-core processor, branded as Intel Xeon 6+. It is the company’s most efficient server processor yet and is built on Intel’s 18A architecture. Intel plans to launch the Xeon 6+ in the first half of 2026.  

Main features include:  

• Up to 288 E-cores.  

• 17% increase in instructions per cycle compared to the previous generation.  

• Considerable improvements in density, throughput, and power efficiency.  

Clearwater Forest is designed for hyperscale data centers, cloud providers, and telecom companies. It helps organizations scale workloads, lower energy costs, and deliver smarter devices.  

Intel 18A: US Technology Establishing New Industry Standards 

Intel 18A is the first 2nm class chip made in the United States. It offers up to 15% better performance per watt and 30% higher chip density than Intel 35. The chip was developed and tested in Oregon, where early production began, and is now moving toward mass production in Arizona.  

Some of the main innovations of the Intel-18A are:  

• RibbonFET is Intel’s first new transistor design in more than ten years. It enables better scaling and more efficient switching, improving both performance and energy efficiency.  

• PowerVia is a new way to deliver power from the back of the chip, which improves how power and signals move through the chip.  

Foveros is Intel’s advanced packaging and 3D chip-stacking technology, which enables multiple chiplets to be combined into cutting-edge system-on-chip designs, making systems more flexible, scalable, and powerful.  

Intel 18A will serve as the foundation for at least three future generations of Intel’s client and server products.  

Fab 52: Building on Intel’s Five Decades of US RD and Manufacturing Investment 

Fab52 is Intel’s fifth large-scale factory at the Ocotillo campus in Chandler, Arizona. It makes the most advanced logic chips in the country and is part of Intel’s $100 billion investment to grow its US operations.  

Intel’s advanced research and production in Oregon, mass manufacturing in Arizona, and packaging in New Mexico put the company in a strong position to support national goals and meet the needs of Intel Foundry customers. M52 continues Intel’s 56-year history of U.S. research and manufacturing and is a major step as the company creates a trusted, advanced U.S. foundry for the AI era.

Source: Intel Unveils Panther Lake Architecture: First AI PC Platform Built on 18A