Intel is preparing for a significant change in desktop processor platforms. The company’s 16th generation Nova Lake-S processors, which it plans to launch in 2026, will leave the current LGA 1851 socket structure behind and be compatible with the new generation LGA 1954 socket.

Intel will make changes to the 16th generation Nova Lake-S processors

The Nova Lake-S series will replace the currently used Arrow Lake processors. The LGA 1851 socket introduced with Arrow Lake was introduced with 800 series motherboards and provided an increase in multi-thread performance.

However, this socket could not fully meet expectations, especially in gaming-oriented performance. Intel aims to overcome these limits with Nova Lake and is preparing to support a more powerful architecture with the new socket structure.

The new LGA 1954 socket is designed for Nova Lake processors with up to 16 performance cores and up to 32 efficiency cores. This structure offers a significant performance increase in applications with high core counts.

It was stated that Intel will use both its own 18A manufacturing process and TSMC’s advanced lithography technologies in these processors. However, in order to keep production costs under control, the vast majority of the chips are planned to be produced in Intel’s own factories.

While Nova Lake processors are called “Core Ultra Series 4”, the previous generation mobile-focused Panther Lake processors will be offered as “Core Ultra Series 3”. Intel is also expected to launch new 900 series motherboards with the socket change.

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