Intel has unveiled its Core Ultra Series 3 “Panther Lake” processors at CES 2026, debuting its first chips built on the Intel 18A process node. The launch introduces a new mobile and edge computing platform designed to expand the capabilities of Ai PCs, with integrated Arc graphics, neural processing units and a suite of platform upgrades.
Intel says the chips will power more than 200 laptop designs globally, with systems arriving in market by late January.
First Platform Built On Intel 18A
The Core Ultra Series 3 is the first compute platform fabricated using Intel’s 18A manufacturing process, which incorporates gate-all-around transistors and backside power delivery to improve efficiency and density.
“Series 3 is about delivering power efficiency, more CPU and GPU capability, and scalable Ai performance,” said Jim Johnson, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Intel’s Client Computing Group.
The new platform uses a hybrid architecture built around next-gen Performance cores (P-cores), Efficient cores (E-cores) and Low-Power Efficient cores (LP E-cores), designed to extend battery life while supporting high-performance workloads.
High-end SKUs feature up to 16 cores and are equipped with built-in Arc GPUs and neural processing units offering up to 50 TOPS of Ai compute capacity.
Arc Graphics, XeSS And Ai On Chip
The processors include integrated Arc GPUs with up to 12 Xe cores and 120 TOPS of total compute. Intel’s XeSS 3 (Super Sampling), XeLL (Low Latency) and Multi-Frame Generation capabilities support frame interpolation and Ai-based upscaling, aimed at gamers and content creators.
The chips also introduce support for IPU 7.5, Thunderbolt 5, Wi-Fi 7 and Dual Bluetooth Core 6. Intel’s Arc graphics are now central to the company’s Ai PC strategy, handling video analytics, large language models and visual language action models in edge deployments.
Ai Expansion At The Edge
For the first time, Intel has certified these processors for embedded and industrial use cases. Edge systems powered by Series 3 chips are designed for 24/7 operation and support extended temperature ranges.
Use cases include:
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- Robotics and automation
- Smart city deployments
- Healthcare systems
- Retail and surveillance analytics
Intel claims performance improvements in edge Ai workloads of up to 1.9x for large language model inference and 2.3x better performance per watt per dollar in video analytics compared to legacy systems.
By integrating Ai capabilities directly on the chip, Intel aims to reduce total cost of ownership for edge deployments by eliminating the need for separate CPUs and GPUs.
Consumer Availability Starts Late January
Pre-orders for laptops featuring Series 3 processors began on 6 January. Systems are expected to be available globally from 27 January. More designs will roll out in the first half of 2026.
Edge systems built on Series 3 will begin shipping in Q1.
Intel has confirmed a range of SKUs from Core Ultra 9 down to Core Ultra 5 variants, with options ranging from 8 to 16 cores, memory support up to 128 GB and frequencies up to 5.1 GHz. Entry-level models will still feature integrated Ai acceleration and Arc graphics, albeit with reduced core and memory configurations.
Evo Platform And Enterprise Features
Intel Evo-branded laptops powered by Core Ultra Series 3 will retain the brand’s certification around responsiveness, fast charging and battery life. These systems are required to meet strict criteria around connectivity, video quality, audio and thermal performance.
Many models also support Intel vPro and Secured-core PC features, enabling deployment in managed enterprise environments.
The new platform is being positioned as a unified solution for mobile and edge Ai compute, built on a shared architecture to simplify developer support and system integration.
Last Updated on 11 January 2026 by Nick Ross
