On Monday, Intel Corp (NASDAQ:INTC) used the stage at CES 2026 to showcase Panther Lakethe next generation AI laptop processor, as CEO Lip Bu Tan said the company has not only met but exceeded the long-promised 18A production milestone.
Intel puts 18A production to the test
Intel formally introduced Panther Lake, its latest AI-focused laptop chip family, at the CES trade show in Las Vegas, making it the company’s first high-volume product built using the 18A manufacturing process.
Tan said the launch fulfills a crucial promise to investors. “I am pleased to report that we have delivered on our commitment to ship our first 18A products by the end of 2025. In fact, we have overdelivered.”
The announcement comes as Intel tries to regain credibility after years of production delays and lost market share.
Tan also said he was pleased to announce that Intel is actively ramping up production of all three Core Ultra Series 3 chip packages.
See also: Maduro shot, drone stocks rise after mission in Venezuela
What Panther Lake has to offer for AI PCs
Panther Lake debuts as Intel Core Ultra Series 3, with a redesigned transistor architecture and a new power delivery method powered by the 18A process.
Jim JohnsonIntel’s senior vice president and general manager of the PC group said the chips include a discrete graphics chiplet, a modular approach that combines multiple mini-chips into a single processor
Intel says the new processors deliver up to 60% higher performance than the previous generation Lunar Lake Series 2 chips. “It’s faster and more efficient than our top-performing skew with fewer pecores,” Johnson said.
A shift away from TSMC dependency
Unlike Lunar Lake, which was largely manufactured by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (NYSE:TSM)Panther Lake is produced using Intel’s proprietary advanced process technology.
Intel has previously struggled with chip yields for Panther Lake, although executives say output quality has steadily improved ahead of this year’s launch.
Gaming push and competitive pressure
Intel also plans to roll out a handheld gaming platform based on Panther Lake later this year, targeting the growing portable PC market.
However, the CES spotlight revealed fierce competition. Nvidia Corp (NASDAQ:NVDA) CEO Jensen Huang said his company Vera Rubin’s next-generation AI chips are already in “full production” and can deliver up to five times the AI performance of previous models.
Price promotion: Intel shares rose 0.18% in after-hours trading. In the last twelve months, shares are up 98.14% Benzinga Pro.
According to Benzinga Edge Stock RankingsIntel shows positive price development in the short, medium and long term. Click here to see how the stock compares to its peers.
Read next:
Disclaimer: This content was produced in part using AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga’s editorial staff.
Photo courtesy: Tada Images on Shutterstock.com
#LipBu #Tan #Theyre #Overdelivered #18A #Timeline #Intel #Shows #NextGen #Panther #Lake #Laptop #Chips #CES #Intel #NASDAQINTC