Intel confirmed its subsequent main consumer CPU structure throughout a convention name immediately: “Nova Lake,” which can debut in 2026.
The information was delivered by Michelle Johnston Holthaus, who heads Intel Product, and David Zinsner, who together with Holthaus is serving as co-chief government officer of Intel after Pat Gelsinger was requested to step down on the finish of 2024. Thursday marked the primary earnings name for the co-chiefs, who fielded questions from Wall Road analysts after reporting earnings for the fourth quarter of 2024. The corporate stated that the seek for a everlasting CEO continues.
In broad strokes, Intel’s roadmap for 2025 and 2026 is about: Panther Lake will debut later this 12 months, Holthaus stated, adopted by Nova Lake in 2026. Whereas Panther Lake will largely be made inside Intel, versus exterior fabs, Nova Lake will nonetheless be break up between Intel’s personal foundry enterprise in addition to exterior sources, presumably TSMC.
“2026 is even more exciting from a client perspective as Panther Lake achieves meaningful volumes and we introduce our next generation client family, code name Nova Lake,” Holthaus stated. “Both will provide strong performance across the entire PC stack with significantly better costs and margins for us, enhancing our competitive position and reinforcing our value proposition to our partners and customers.”
Historically, Intel launches a brand new processor structure within the second half of every 12 months. This seems to be the sport plan for 2025, as Panther Lake will launch through the second half of 2025. That’s according to what Holthaus instructed reporters at CES in early January, the place she stated Intel was already sampling the half. Holthaus acknowledged the elevated competitors from AMD and Qualcomm, and that revenue margins on its Lunar Lake elements had been decrease due to the built-in reminiscence.
Panther Lake will probably be fabricated on Intel 18A, the final of Intel’s “five process nodes in four years” technique. The manufacturing of many of the silicon throughout the varied chiplets will probably be executed internally, as a part of Intel’s foundry enterprise. For Nova Lake, “we’ll have dies both inside and outside [the company] for that process,” Holthaus stated, with out describing the chip additional.
Panther Lake, Nova Lake return to Intel’s fabs
Intel stated in February of final 12 months that it might kind a subsidiary devoted to its foundry enterprise. In Sept. 2024, Intel made that subsidiary impartial, with its personal board of administrators. Throughout the name, Holthaus indicated that Intel Foundry is being handled identical to another silicon provider.
“As CEO of Intel Product, I will always make process technology decisions based on what is best for my customers,” she stated. “And Intel Foundry will need to earn my business every day, just as I need to earn the business of my customers.”
“A stronger Intel Product combined with a more competitive Intel Foundry is a recipe for success for Intel overall,” Holthaus added.
Holthaus indicated, nevertheless, that she believed Intel’s foundry enterprise would achieve success, however solely slowly, noting that a part of incomes prospects belief is a gradual ramp, with decrease preliminary volumes. “We won’t win every deal out of the gates,” she stated. “We’ll be selective and focused on areas where we are confident that we can be a meaningful contributor to the success of our customer.”
Intel executives stated that they proceed to be “engaged” with the Trump Administration. The Division of Commerce, as a part of the U.S. Chips Act, has paid Intel $1.1 billion through the fourth quarter and $1.1 billion in January, as a part of a complete $7.86 billion in grant cash.
For the fourth quarter, Intel misplaced $100 million on income of $14.3 billion, down 7 %. Intel’s Consumer Computing Group, the house of its PC chip enterprise, made $8.0 billion, down 9 %.
