For a few days, a rumor circulated, generating several articles on the web, that the release of Intel’s next desktop processors, the Core Ultra 200K Aka Arrow Lake-S, would be postponed. However, the latest reliable information doesn’t support this view at all. In fact, the timetable for validation of these processors has accelerated. Whereas Intel’s partners were due to receive the QS (Qualification Sample) processors by WW40 (week of September 30 to October 6), their arrival has been brought forward to the second half of August. This timetable confirms Intel’s intention to launch the Core Ultra 200K in October. At the same time, other information from motherboard manufacturers indicates that they are gearing up to present their new models to the press in September…
Arrow Lake: new architecture details
The other topic concerns the design of the new generation of Intel processors for desktop PCs. While the launch should be close to that of the Lunar Lake CPU for notebooks, Arrow Lake will have little in common with them.
For example, the new processors will feature four main tiles while sitting on a base tile. These tiles include a processor, an SoC, a GPU and an IOE tile.
The CPU tile will feature the latest Lion Cove P-Cores and Skymont E-Cores, coupled with their L2 caches and a power management unit. All cores will be connected using a coherent structure with a shared L3 cache.
Skymont E-Cores will not be the LP-E variants presented on Lunar Lake. These variants operate at lower clock speeds and feature conservative power limits while eliminating the L3 cache.
Lion Cove P-Cores will also be slightly improved over Lunar Lake processors. They will offer faster clocks and higher IPC enhancements.
Several Arrow Lake variants to come:
If we focus on the version for desktop PCs, let’s not forget that Intel Arrow Lake “Core Ultra 200” processors will be available in several versions:
- Arrow Lake-S (Desktop)
- Arrow Lake-HX (Enthusiast Laptop)
- Arrow Lake-H (High-End Laptop)
- Arrow Lake-U (Mainstream Laptop)
- Arrow Lake-WS (Xeon Workstation).
An important design element on this generation is the presence of a dedicated “Die-To-Die” D2D interconnect on all four tiles.
The schedule calls for the first Intel Arrow Lake “Core Ultra 200” to be the Desktop “S” versions in October (the K processors). These processors will be accompanied by the latest LGA 1851 socket motherboards using 800 series chipsets, with the Z890 as the first. With Intel holding an “Innovation” conference in September, it’s a safe bet that a number of announcements will be unveiled or confirmed on this occasion.
