Intel is preparing its next-generation Nova Lake processors to compete with the AMD Ryzen X3D series. The Nova Lake-S series, expected to launch in 2026, will offer up to 180MB of cache thanks to bLLC (bigger LLC) variants. This is notably higher than the 96MB and 128MB V-Cache in the AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D and Ryzen 9 7950X3D.

Core Ultra 400 processors will be available

The Nova Lake-S series will include Core Ultra 5, 7, and 9 models. The Core Ultra 5 series will feature configurations of 8 performance (P), 16 efficiency (E), and 4 low-power (LP-E) cores, as well as larger cache versions.

The Core Ultra 7 and 9 models will offer 144MB and 180MB of LLC cache, respectively. The differences between single and dual compute tile architectures are also significant in this series. Models with a single compute tile may have larger L3 cache thanks to the physical space advantage, while higher-end variants with 48 cores and dual compute tiles may lack the bLLC feature. This demonstrates that more cores does not always mean more cache.

It is not yet clear whether Intel will offer this higher cache capacity in Nova Lake processors on existing die or use 3D stacking technologies (such as Foveros). AMD is known to use flexible 3D V-Cache technology in the Ryzen X3D series. Given Intel’s availability of similar technologies, it remains to be seen what approach it will take with the Nova Lake architecture.

Nova Lake processors will be released in 2026 alongside LGA 1954 socket motherboards. Intel aims to increase single-core performance and multi-core processing by up to 60% in this series.

In 2025, the Arrow Lake-S Refresh model will be released as an updated version of the existing architecture with minor improvements. The next-generation Nova Lake series will be a direct competitive alternative to AMD Ryzen X3D in Intel’s desktop segment.