[News] Update on Intel’s Roadmap for 2025 and Beyond: 18A Products Unveiled, AI Ambitions Setback

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At Intel’s earnings call last week, the struggling giant surpassed analysts’ low expectations for its December-quarter results but issued weak Q1 guidance. According to Reuters, Team Blue expects revenue of $11.7 billion to $12.7 billion, not only below the $12.85 billion analyst forecast, but also lower than the $14.26 billion in the previous quarter.

While the company’s quest for a new CEO has yet to be fruitful, its product roadmap for 2025 and beyond gains the spotlight. Here’s a quick update of Intel’s upcoming processors, including Panther Lake, Nova Lake, and more.

Panther Lake: Gears up for Late 2025 Launch

A previous report from Tom’s Hardware indicated that Intel plans to expand its AI PC product lineup in 2025 while sending samples of its “lead 18A product” — the Panther Lake processor — to its customers.

Now, a TechPowerUp report notes that during the Q4 earnings call, Intel confirmed that Panther Lake, its next major CPU, is set for release in late 2025. Built on Intel’s 18A process, it is expected to be part of the Core Ultra 300 series, featuring next-gen Cougar Cove P-cores alongside existing Skymont E-cores.

However, Intel has not confirmed whether it will be available for desktops, as per TechPowerUp.

Clearwater Forest: Delayed to 1H26

Meanwhile, another product manufactured with Intel’s 18A, Clearwater Forest, targeting data centers, is said to be launched in the first half of 2026, according to Tom’s Hardware. Notably, the schedule is one or two quarters later than planned, the report indicates. In Intel’s original blueprint, this should have been the company’s first flagship product fabricated with 18A.

Nova Lake Likely to Be Manufactured with TSMC’s 2nm

Following Panther Lake, Intel’s next-generation Nova Lake is scheduled for a 2026 launch, according to TechPowerUp. Unlike Panther Lake, it is said to support desktop systems.

However, the processor may not be a pure brainchild of Intel Foundry. As per TechPowerUp, previous market rumors indicated that Nova Lake may be manufactured with Intel’s 14A node and TSMC’s 2nm node. Notably, Intel now might move all compute dies to TSMC for production following a change in plans, and may be developing multiple Nova Lake variants, including for desktop, high-end mobile, and mainstream mobile platforms, as noted by TechPowerUp.

AI Ambitions Thwarted Again as Falcon Shores Plan Cancelled

On the other hand, Intel is still struggling in the AI sector. Citing co-interim CEO Michelle Johnston Holthaus, a Reuters report suggests Intel is putting its Falcon Shores GPU design on hold, leaving the company without major new products for AI customers.

Instead, Intel plans to use Falcon Shores as an internal test chip and shift its focus to future data center AI products, the report adds.

This is not the first time Intel’s AI ambitions thwarted. A previous report from Tom’s Hardware noted that Team Blue fell short of its $500 million Gaudi 3 sales target in 2024 due to software challenges. According to the report, AMD aimed for $3 billion in revenue from its AI GPUs, while NVIDIA might earn $80 to $90 billion from AI GPUs in the data center.

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(Photo credit: Intel)