At the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2025, Intel has announced its new Core Ultra Series 2 processors aimed at both mobile and desktop PCs. The company claims that these processors will lead to a significant refresh cycle in the PC market, especially as Microsoft plans to end support for Windows 10 this coming October. Intel forecasts that 2025 could see one of the largest computer refresh waves in modern history, even surpassing the spike in demand observed during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 when remote work and learning drove sales. The company stated, “This calendar year is expected to be one of the largest computer refresh cycles in recent history, even larger than 2020’s COVID-19 surge driven by remote work and learning requirements.”
This anticipated upgrade is linked to the projected abandonment of Windows 10 by millions, especially as approximately 450 million PCs currently running Windows 10 cannot upgrade to Windows 11. To further support this transition, Intel has introduced its powerful Core Ultra 200V series processors, code-named Lunar Lake, specifically designed for workplace environments with an all-new Intel vPro platform.
Intel identified three primary factors that will stimulate this upgrade wave: the large number of incompatible Windows 10 machines, the rise of AI-driven PCs that are better equipped to handle new software, and ongoing concerns stemming from incidents like the 2024 CrowdStrike outage. To leverage this momentum, Intel is launching a suite of new processors aimed at various markets.
The lineup features seven new and improved processor families, alongside an update on Intel’s 18A manufacturing process, which is reportedly being sampled by clients ahead of a large-scale production set for the latter half of 2025. Key highlights include:
– **Core Ultra 200V Series Mobile Processors**: These are vPro-enabled models of the existing 200V mobile processors, tailored for commercial Copilot+ PCs and available immediately.
– **Core Ultra 200HX and H Series Mobile Processors**: Equipped with enhanced Performance Efficient cores, these chips also feature an integrated neural processing unit (NPU) for AI acceleration and Intel Arc graphics. They target gamers and creators, boasting up to 24 cores (8 Performance, 16 Efficient) and offering performance improvements of up to 41% compared to their predecessors. The H-series processors will ship in February 2025, with the HX series following in the same year.
– **Core Ultra 200U Series Mobile Processors**: Aimed at mainstream users, these chips have 2 P cores and 8 E cores, supporting Intel X LPG graphics and delivering up to 24 TOPS of AI performance. Shipment is also planned for February.
– **Core Ultra 200S Series Desktop Processors**: Intel is expanding this family with new 65-watt and 35-watt designs tailored for mainstream desktop users. With configurations featuring up to 8 P cores and 16 E cores, these chips will support Thunderbolt 4 or 5 and are expected to arrive in the coming week.
Intel asserts that these new generation processors deliver significant performance improvements in crucial areas, including media processing and AI analytics. According to interim CEO Michelle Johnston Holthaus, “The strength of our AI PC product innovation, combined with the breadth and scale of our hardware and software ecosystem across all segments of the market, is empowering users with a better experience in the traditional ways we use PCs for productivity, creation and communication, while opening up completely new capabilities with over 400 AI features.”
With the unveiling of the Core Ultra processors, Intel is looking to not only set higher benchmarks for mobile AI and graphics performance but also reaffirm the efficiency of its x86 architecture as it aims to shape the future of personal computing.