HWMonitor 1.60 lists Intel Panther Lake Core Ultra X, H and U chips for CES 2026, built on 18A with Xe3 iGPU up to 50% faster and a focus on efficiency and AI.
© A. Krivonosov
In a fresh HWMonitor update, CPU ID’s developers appear to have accidentally confirmed new Intel processors from the Panther Lake family, expected to debut at CES 2026. Version 1.60 for Windows references the Core Ultra X, Core Ultra H, and Core Ultra U lineups, which effectively signals that the entire series is in the pipeline.
Sitting at the top are the Core Ultra X9 388H, X7 368H, X7 358H, and X5 338H. These chips are set to carry the most capable integrated graphics with 12 Xe3 cores, while the X5 version is trimmed to ten. The standard Panther Lake-H models without the X suffix—Core Ultra 9 375H, Core Ultra 7 355H, Core Ultra 7 345H, and Core Ultra 5 325H—keep the same architecture but with scaled-back iGPUs featuring just four Xe3 cores.
The energy-focused Panther Lake-U range (including the Core Ultra 7 360U, Core Ultra 5 350U, Core Ultra 5 340U, and Core Ultra 3 320U) targets laptops where battery life takes priority. These chips drop the E-cores in favor of next-generation P and LP-E cores.
The headline shift is Intel’s move to its in-house 18A process and an updated Cougar Cove + Darkmont + Skymont architecture, plus a hybrid approach that uses TSMC N3E and Intel 3 for graphics. According to the developers, the Xe3 iGPU promises 50% more performance than Xe2.
Panther Lake reads less like a routine refresh and more like a statement that Intel is stepping back into the fray with its own process technology and a pronounced focus on energy efficiency and AI acceleration.