Intel reportedly planning Arrow Lake Refresh featuring 8P+32E cores for 2025 debut

Arrow Lake Refresh with 40 cores

Intel’s latest client CPU roadmap has been presented by Moore’s Law is Dead.

The video reiterates some rumors and solidifies the latest information about Intel’s plans for the next three years. However, the further we look into rumored and official roadmaps, the more vague the information becomes. Therefore, discussing anything beyond Panther Lake seems unwarranted. Nevertheless, the video mentions something that has not been discussed before. Intel appears to be preparing a refresh of the Arrow Lake CPU series.

As we are aware, Intel is on the verge of announcing its Core 14th series, known as Raptor Lake Refresh. This marks the culmination of the LGA1700 platform, offering modest enhancements such as higher clock speeds and, in the case of one SKU (14700K), an increased core count. However, as we anticipate the next desktop iteration, which will utilize the LGA-1851 socket, one cannot help but wonder about Intel’s future plans.

The initial generation of Arrow Lake CPUs, likely part of the Core Ultra 200 desktop series, is expected to feature either 24 or 26 cores (depending on the core counting method). This architecture combines up to 8 Lion Cove P-Cores, up to 16 Skymont E-Cores, and 2 Skymont E-cores within the SoC die. Intel has not yet confirmed whether these SoC cores will be officially marketed or available for all workloads. Thus, for the time being, it’s better to exclude them from the total core count. However, this is not the most crucial aspect.

Intel Arrow Lake Refresh, Source: Moore’s Law is Dead

Intel is purportedly planning a refresh of Arrow Lake, which will seemingly maintain the same node and core types but double the number of Skymont E-Cores, increasing from 16 to 32. This situation closely mirrors the scenario seen with Alder Lake and Raptor Lake, where E-Cores were also doubled. While rumors about potential 40-core Arrow Lake CPUs have circulated before, it is now suggested that this configuration will debut with the Refresh version rather than the initial Arrow Lake release.

The second generation of Arrow Lake is expected to compete with AMD’s future Ryzen 8000 or even 9000 series, which are also rumored to adopt a hybrid design with configurations exceeding 24 cores. Arrow Lake Refresh is likely to be the second series to launch on the LGA-1851 platform. There is no indication thus far that Panther Lake will deviate from this socket, implying that three core series will ultimately utilize the same socket.

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