Las Vegas, NV — January 7, 2026
Intel officially unveiled its Core Ultra Series 3 processors, codenamed Panther Lake, at CES 2026, promising a leap in both gaming and AI performance for laptops, handheld devices, and edge computing. The new CPUs, built on Intel’s 18A process, offer up to 15% better performance per watt and 30% higher chip density compared with the previous Lunar Lake generation.
Key Performance Highlights
CPU Architecture: Combines new e-cores, p-cores, and Xe cores with a dedicated GPU tile.
Gaming Boost: Up to 70% higher gaming performance, exceeding 120 FPS in titles like Painkiller and Delta Force via the integrated Arc B390 GPU.
XeSS 3 & AI: Ray tracing support with AI-generated frames enables 145 FPS on high settings.
Local AI Power: 180 TOPS total AI performance, including 120 GPU TOPS, supporting intensive machine learning and edge computing.
Memory Support: Up to 96GB DDR5x, designed for AI workloads and advanced gaming.
AI & Edge Computing
Intel emphasized AI acceleration with Panther Lake, showing 1.7x improvement in image classification, 1.9x lower latency for large language models (LLMs), and 2.3x faster video analytics versus Nvidia Jetson Orin. The processors are integrated with Microsoft Copilot+ PCs, enhancing productivity and AI capabilities.
Gaming & Availability
Native XeSS 3 integration in popular games like Battlefield 6 ensures high FPS and smooth visuals. The platform targets handheld gaming devices and laptops requiring both AI processing and gaming performance. Availability began January 6, 2026, creating immediate buzz at CES.
Strategic Significance
The launch positions Intel to compete more aggressively against Nvidia and AMD in AI-driven computing, gaming, and enterprise applications, leveraging both improved efficiency and raw performance in portable and edge devices.
