INTEL’s best launch in years

Intel has just presented at CES 2026 what could be the most important launch in its recent history: the line Intel Core Ultra 300 Seriescodename Panther Lake.

After years of technical challenges and the transition of important customers to other architectures, the new generation promises to resolve once and for all the balance between extreme performance and energy efficiency.

The end of the nanometer era: the arrival of 18 angstroms

The big difference of this generation lies in its manufacturing. Intel is debuting lithography 18 angstroms (or 1.8 nm). This advance is a milestone for the company, which for a long time was stuck in 14 nm processes, facing heating problems and loss of competitiveness.

With the 18 angstromsIntel once again has a highly compact and competitive transistor manufacturing process, allowing it to create much more robust and efficient chips.

Hybrid architecture: up to 27 hours of battery life?

The Panther Lake architecture was designed in “tiles” (specific blocks for computing, GPU and connectivity) and brings a configuration of up to 16 cores:

• 4 performance cores (P-cores) for heavy tasks.
• 12 low-power coresdivided into clusters for maximum efficiency.

The practical result is impressive. In demonstrations, the chip was able to run video calls and multiple video tabs using just four very low power coreskeeping the rest of the processor and even the GPU turned off.

According to Intel estimates, this intelligent energy management could lead to notebook autonomy of up to 27 hours in video playback.

For those looking for graphics performance, the new integrated GPU based on the technology 3rd generation Xe brings considerable leaps. In tests with the game Battlefield 6, the system achieved 237 FPS using Intel’s AI frame generator. Even natively and at high quality, the chip maintained a stable frame rate above 70 FPS in Full HD.

The point that draws the most attention is not just the FPS, but the silence. Unlike past generations, known for noisy fans and overheating, the new chips operate cool and silent, addressing the criticisms that made Apple, for example, abandon Intel in the past.

AI and productivity without consuming CPU

Artificial intelligence is at the heart of this new era. Thanks to NPU (Neural Processing Unit) dedicated, AI tasks do not “steal” performance from the CPU or GPU. Practical examples shown include:

• Video editing: In DaVinci Resolve, AI performs hardware-accelerated object tracking and color switching, even on compact computers without a dedicated graphics card.
• Accessibility and creation: Integrations with Elgato Prompter allow teleprompter text to automatically advance following the rhythm of the user’s voice, consuming only 20% of NPU and almost no energy.

A new standard for PCs?

O Intel Core Ultra 300 “Panther Lake” appears to be Intel’s definitive answer to the ultrathin notebook and All-in-Ones market. By combining the processing power that the brand has always had with thermal and battery efficiency that previously seemed impossible, Intel is once again at the forefront of technological innovation.