Once the dominant player in chips, Intel has struggled to keep pace with rivals over the past decade. An executive discussed the company’s AI strategy and future direction, driven by the launch of its new Core Ultra 3 chips.

Intel's beefy Arc B390 integrated graphics chip on its new Panther Lake Core Ultra X9 CPU is a very capable little chip. In new benchmarks on select laptops displayed at CES 2026, its new GPU managed over 80 FPS in the always-intense Cyberpunk 2077 at 1080p resolution.

Intel is reportedly preparing Intel Core G3 handheld chips based on Panther Lake, with Arc B390 integrated graphics gains as the main hook. Here’s what that could mean for portable gaming PCs.

Intel stock increased +6.5% on strong volume following the CES 2026 introduction of its Core Ultra Series 3 “Panther Lake” processors

Intel introduced its latest processors at CES 2026, debuting the "Panther Lake" Intel Core Ultra Series 3. The chips are the most advanced manufactured in the U.S., according to Intel, and they are built on Intel's 18A process.

One of the main drivers of Intel stock's performance in 2025 was a series of deals Tan struck. First, Tan secured an $8.9 billion equity investment from the U.S. Government, unlocking existing grant money that hadn't yet been delivered. Intel also received a $2 billion equity investment from SoftBank, further strengthening its balance sheet.

Thanks to its hugely powerful new integrated Xe3 GPU, the Intel Panther Lake laptop CPU series has stolen a surprise victory for frame rates.

Nvidia finalized a $5B Intel stake after FTC approval, buying 214.7M shares. The move bolsters Intel’s foundry push as 18A ramps.

Intel claims that the top-tier Panther Lake chip trounces AMD's HX 370 by more than 80% in gaming, and that it can go toe-to-toe with Nvidia 's discrete RTX 4050 mobile graphics chip. While real-world benchmarks will be needed to verify these claims, Panther Lake appears to be a gaming powerhouse.

Intel has confirmed that laptops featuring its new Core Ultra Series 3 processors are ready to hit the market later this month.

At CES, Intel details its launch lineup for the new Core Ultra Series 3 processors (based on its 2nm 18A architecture) that will launch this month across midrange to high-end AI PC laptops.