Intel has detailed its next-generation client processor architecture, codenamed Panther Lake, describing it as the first Ai PC platform built on the company’s 18A process node.
The new chips are expected to ship later this year, with production already underway at Intel’s Fab 52 facility in Chandler, Arizona. The announcement forms part of Intel’s wider strategy to reinforce US-based technology development and semiconductor manufacturing.
First Intel 18A-Based Client Processors
Panther Lake will debut as the Intel Core Ultra series 3, the company’s first client system-on-chips manufactured on the 18A process. Intel said the platform is designed to bring higher efficiency and expanded Ai capabilities to personal computers.
The company confirmed that Panther Lake is already in production and scheduled to meet initial customer commitments. Intel expects it to become a widely adopted platform in the PC segment once volume shipments begin.
Server Roadmap: Clearwater Forest
Alongside the client launch, Intel previewed its Xeon 6+ processors, codenamed Clearwater Forest, which will be its first server products built on 18A.
Clearwater Forest is scheduled for release in the first half of 2026 and will be manufactured at the same Arizona facility. Intel said the new Xeon processors are designed to deliver significant improvements in power efficiency and performance, supporting the growing requirements of data centre workloads.
Investment In Arizona Manufacturing
The Chandler Fab 52 facility has now reached full operational status and will serve as the manufacturing hub for Panther Lake, Clearwater Forest and future generations of processors built on 18A.
Intel framed the investment as part of its push to strengthen American technology leadership and increase supply chain resilience by scaling domestic semiconductor production.
Executive Comments
Intel Chief Executive Lip-Bu Tan said the move represented a major step forward for the company’s process technology and product roadmap.
“We are entering a new era of computing, made possible by leaps in semiconductor technology that will shape the future for decades,” Tan said.
Related: Best Business Laptops for Work & School
Related: Best Gaming Laptops
Related: Best Portable Laptop
“Our next-generation compute platforms, combined with our process technology, manufacturing and advanced packaging, are catalysts for innovation across our business as we build a new Intel. The United States has always been home to Intel’s most advanced research, product design and manufacturing, and we are proud to continue that tradition.”
Last Updated on 10 October 2025 by Nick Ross
