Intel set to reveal PC roadmap – will we hear about new CPUs?

Intel Core i9-13900K in hand
(Image credit: Future)

Intel is set to reveal its plans for the PC arena next week, and we’ll hopefully get some interesting nuggets of information from the chip giant.

The presentation on all things PC will come via a webinar that takes place on December 16 at 7.30 am PT (10.30 am ET, 3.30 pm UK time), with Intel spilling the beans on its PC platform roadmap, as Tom’s Hardware flagged up.

That means we’ll get to see future products that we don’t know about yet, or at least haven’t had info spilled on them officially, although the rumor mill may have already imparted details here and there,

Intel has had a rocky time of things lately in terms of falling profits and having to announce big plans for streamlining and job losses, partly due to the slump in the PC market this year.

Perhaps unsurprisingly then, the other major topic Intel plans to inform us on is the size of the PC market and “growth drivers” therein, presumably with some optimism to be witnessed on the latter front, rather than the doom and gloom of falling PC sales that we’ve become used to in 2022.


Analysis: Piecing together the CPU jigsaw puzzle, perhaps…

Of course, PC sales are a cyclical thing, and we’ve had major slumps in sales of computers and laptops before – with the industry inevitably recovering. That said, the possible depth of the recession and economic chaos that currently abounds is worrying, and could usher in a longer downturn in PC shipments - we certainly still feel that’s a danger. It should be interesting to hear what Intel has to say in terms of factors driving growth, for sure.

As to what we might hear regarding Intel’s future hardware, we already know that Team Blue is on track with its aims for ushering in new CPUs at an ‘unprecedented pace’ no less – because the chip giant just told us.

That means next-gen Meteor Lake is still on track for 2023, but what we might be treated to further info about is Arrow Lake, the generation after Meteor, and possibly what lies beyond. And we may well hear more about a focus on efficiency cores, as rumor has it that the big push with those ‘little’ (low-power) cores in current-gen Raptor Lake is going to be continued in Meteor Lake.

Maybe we could even see something about the rumored Raptor Lake Refresh CPUs that might be around next year. If Meteor Lake is upping the count of efficiency cores, and cutting performance cores to 6 for better overall power efficiency, then those processors might represent new low-end and mid-range models – and maybe Raptor Lake Refresh will fit in as the new top-end for 2023 (with the full 8 cores, of course).

Or Intel could just leave the high-end Raptor Lake models (13700K, 13900K, and incoming 13900KS) in place, although that’ll be met with disappointment if it pans out this way, no doubt. (Arrow Lake would need to follow pretty swiftly with heavyweight Core i9/i7 offerings, if this is indeed the plan).

Whatever the case, hopefully Intel will reveal how the CPU jigsaw puzzle fits together next week, and we’ll hear something about the plans for future generations further down the line than Arrow Lake. (We’ve been told Lunar Lake will follow next, but we know precious little about it – or what might come afterward, of course).

We might learn a bit more about what’s in store for Arc GPUs, perhaps, which have got off to a very shaky start this year, although at least the graphics driver is finally coming together into some sort of decent shape, so there’s hope for the future yet.

TOPICS

Darren is a freelancer writing news and features for TechRadar (and occasionally T3) across a broad range of computing topics including CPUs, GPUs, various other hardware, VPNs, antivirus and more. He has written about tech for the best part of three decades, and writes books in his spare time (his debut novel - 'I Know What You Did Last Supper' - was published by Hachette UK in 2013).

Read more
Intel Core Ultra 200s
Hoping for new desktop CPUs from Intel this year? I hate to break it to you, but it still very much sounds like they won’t arrive until 2026 with Nova Lake
Intel Lunar Lake concept
Intel's Panther Lake processors won't arrive until Q1 2026 - corroborates previous delay rumors despite former Intel CEO's promise of 2025 launch
A mockup of the Intel Core Ultra 200HX die against a blue swoosh background
Intel announces new Core Ultra 200 series mobile CPUs at CES 2025, targeting enthusiasts and edge users
The socket interface of the Intel Core Ultra processor
Intel unveils its most powerful AI PCs yet - new Intel Core Ultra Series 2 processors pack in vPro for lightweight laptops and high-performance workstations alike
Intel Core Ultra PCs
“No matter who you are, what you do, what form factor you choose” - how Intel is bringing AI advantage and unrivaled security to every industry and ecosystem
Intel Logo
Intel's rumored 'Celestial' GPUs could finally give Nvidia and AMD cause for concern
Latest in CPU
AMD Ryzen AI
New leak suggests AMD's working on an Arm-based processor to rival Qualcomm's Snapdragon X series
AMD Ryzen 9950X3D chip next to its packaging on a pink table
Asus' AI Cache Boost promises to "pump up" your AMD Ryzen 9000 processor's AI performance
An AMD Ryzen processor slotted into a motherboard
Future AMD-powered gaming handhelds and notebooks could miss out on a key feature – and it might be a deal breaker for gamers
John Loeffler holding the Ryzen 7 7800X3D
Great news! The best gaming CPU ever made is finally available for its original launch price again
The Ryzen AI Max+ 395 could power the latest generation of powerful mini PCs
The AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 dominates as the "most powerful" APU on the market, but its competition is questionable
Intel Lunar Lake concept
Intel's Panther Lake processors won't arrive until Q1 2026 - corroborates previous delay rumors despite former Intel CEO's promise of 2025 launch
Latest in News
Nintendo Switch 2 Joy-Con up-close from app store
Nintendo's new app gave us another look at the Switch 2, and there's something different with the Joy-Con
cheap Nintendo Switch game deals sales
Nintendo didn't anticipate that Mario Kart 8 Deluxe was 'going to be the juggernaut' for the Nintendo Switch when it was ported to the console, according to former employees
Three angles of the Apple MacBook Air 15-inch M4 laptop above a desk
Apple MacBook Air 15-inch (M4) review roundup – should you buy Apple's new lightweight laptop?
Witchbrook
Witchbrook, the life-sim I've been waiting years for, finally has a release window and it's sooner than you think
Amazon Echo Smart Speaker
Amazon is experimenting with renaming Echo speakers to Alexa speakers, and it's about time
Shigeru Miyamoto presents Nintendo Today app
Nintendo Today smartphone app is out now on iOS and Android devices – and here's what it does