Intel announced its desktop processor roadmap for 2026 at the Goldman Sachs Technology Conference. The company’s chief executive, John Pitzer, stated, “We have a few gaps to fill in the desktop PC space,” adding that they will first refresh the Arrow Lake series, followed by Nova Lake at the end of the year.
New processors to be released in 2026
The Core Ultra 200 series, a refreshed version of the Arrow Lake series, is said to offer limited performance increases. This refresh is expected to include higher clock speeds and minor performance improvements in the K/KF series models.
There will be no change in core counts, with only increased power limits for some models. It was previously suggested that this interim generation would include an advanced artificial intelligence processing unit (NPU), but recent reports indicate that no such plans exist.
Intel’s move coincides with the expected release of its Zen 6 processors by rival AMD later that year. Desktop versions of Zen 6 could pose significant competition for Intel. On the mobile side, there are rumors that AMD may delay Zen 6 to 2027. AMD will share details of its roadmap in November.
Intel’s real breakthrough will come with Nova Lake. However, the possibility of Nova Lake coming with a new socket could eliminate the opportunity for Arrow Lake users to upgrade. This could make it difficult for the Arrow Lake refresh, due for release in 2026, to gain traction unless its price-performance ratio is attractive.
