Intel’s upcoming Arrow Lake CPU models have yet to grace PC builds worldwide, but news of its successor, codenamed Panther Lake, is already appearing. The latest Intel tidbits suggest that they’ll only begin to mass produce these dynamic next-gen 18-A-based processors in 2026, so it likely won’t be available until at least later that same year, possibly even in 2027.

That’s according to Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger (via Tom’s Hardware), who gave a sneak peek of their roadmap during a company webinar. “We’ll be ramping the first products Panther Lake and Clearwater Forest — the first client product and the first server product [based on 18A] — in 2025,” Gelsinger said. “We will start to ramp [up] to higher volumes in 2026 for 18A.” Though specs and details largely remain scarce on these upcoming models, a graphic provided by Intel has revealed that these 18A CPUs will see a 10% improvement in performance per watt compared to their most recent predecessors.

Intel Panther Lake CPUs are still a ways off

Now, it’s worth noting that Intel has yet to reveal when its Panther Lake CPUs will be made publicly available. The previously mentioned 2026 launch is mere speculation based on CEO Pat Gelsinger’s comments, so you’ll need to take it with a grain of salt for now. Plus, with the company still prepping for Arrow Lake’s upcoming release towards the end of 2025 (at least, according to recent rumors), an imminent announcement regarding its next-gen processors seems unlikely in the short term.

That said, we will keep an eye on Intel’s goings-ons and provide updates as soon as they become available. Until then, check out the best CPU for gaming in 2025 and the best GPUs in 2025 so you can start building your PC in preparation for its arrival.

About the Author

Nico Vergara

Nico is a Tech News Writer for PC Guide. He is also adept at finding a good deal every now and then, stemming from his days penny-pinching as a broke college kid.