Intel Launches Panther Lake Chip at CES 2026 to Regain PC Market Share
Intel launched its new Panther Lake chip for laptops on Monday at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, marking a key step in the company’s efforts to reassert itself in the global semiconductor market. The Panther Lake series is Intel’s first product built using its next-generation 18A manufacturing process, a technological advance aimed at boosting performance and efficiency as the firm seeks to recover ground lost to rivals AMD and Nvidia.
New Architecture and Manufacturing Breakthrough
Jim Johnson, Intel’s senior vice president and general manager of the PC group, introduced the first line of Panther Lake processors, known as the Intel Core Ultra Series 3. The chips incorporate a redesigned transistor structure and an innovative power delivery system enabled by the 18A process, which represents Intel’s most advanced node to date.
Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan confirmed that the company met its target of producing its first 18A-based products in 2025. “Panther Lake represents a new era in Intel’s design and manufacturing leadership,” Tan said, emphasising that the new chips were produced entirely in-house, unlike the previous Lunar Lake generation, which was largely manufactured by TSMC.
Johnson said the Core Ultra Series 3 delivers up to 60 per cent better performance than the prior-generation Lunar Lake Series 2. He also revealed that Intel has developed a new graphics chiplet — a modular mini-chip integrated into the processor package — to enhance AI and gaming workloads.
Expanding into Gaming and AI Applications
Intel plans to launch a platform for handheld gaming devices based on the Panther Lake design later this year, capitalising on the growing popularity of portable gaming PCs. The company said its chip yields — the proportion of usable chips produced from each silicon wafer — have steadily improved, paving the way for large-scale production and commercial availability in 2026.
The announcement underscores Intel’s broader strategy to compete aggressively in the AI-driven computing market, an area where AMD and Nvidia currently dominate. AMD CEO Lisa Su is scheduled to deliver a CES keynote this week, where she is expected to unveil new PC and AI chips. AMD recently announced a multibillion-dollar deal with OpenAI to supply its MI400 series processors, a partnership analysts expect will generate significant revenue.
Meanwhile, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang confirmed that his company’s next generation of AI chips is already in full production, promising fivefold improvements in computing power for applications such as chatbots and large language models.
Intel’s Push to Reclaim Market Leadership
After years of manufacturing setbacks, Intel is positioning the Panther Lake launch as a turning point in its comeback strategy. The 18A process technology is designed to restore Intel’s edge in chip design and production, reducing reliance on external foundries while meeting the growing demand for AI-enabled computing.
Industry analysts see the Panther Lake launch as a critical test of Intel’s ability to regain investor confidence and recover share in the highly competitive PC and semiconductor markets.
with inputs from Reuters
