Intel ventures into new territory with processors of the future

As part of the recent announcement of business results, Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger provided a glimpse into the future of processor generations. Despite a significant loss of $16.6 billion, the statements revealed details about the upcoming Panther Lake and Nova Lake processors. These will not follow the same path as their predecessor Lunar Lake, which Gelsinger described as 'one-of-a-kind.' Lunar Lake revolutionized Intel processors by integrating LPDDR5X memory directly into the processor package for the first time, similar to Apple's successful M-chips. This design improved both data transfer rates and efficiency, resulting in remarkable battery life. Despite these impressive performances, there will be no direct successor to Lunar Lake. Gelsinger explained that Lunar Lake was initially conceived as a niche product but became a crucial part of the product lineup due to the boom in AI PCs. Nevertheless, he emphasized that the integration of memory strained profit margins too much, which is why future generations like Panther Lake and Nova Lake will forgo this architecture. Instead, Intel plans to pursue a more traditional approach with Panther Lake and Nova Lake. The launch of Panther Lake is scheduled for the second half of 2025, and these processors are expected to be based on the more powerful and cost-effective 18A technology. Another topic, however, was barely addressed: Intel’s next generation of Battlemage GPUs. This suggests that dedicated graphics cards may be in less demand in the future, with further information possibly not coming until CES 2025.