Intel announces Core Ultra 200 series desktop CPUs, the first desktop AI processors on the market

Intel brings the AI PC to the desktop with the first desktop processor featuring a built-in NPU

News By John Loeffler last updated 10 October 2024

Intel announced its newest desktop processors this week, the Intel Core Ultra 200 series, which is the first desktop processor with a built in NPU for AI workloads.

The new processor series, previously known by its codename, Intel Arrow Lake, has been entirely rearchitected to focus on efficiency and performance-per-watt and features the same multi-module die architecture as Intel Meteor Lake laptop processors.

The new processors are a major change for Intel's desktop portfolio, featuring new performance and efficiency core architecture.

The new Skymont efficiency cores have a claimed 32% instruction-per-clock (IPC) increase over the previous generation Gracemont cores featured in Intel Raptor Lake and Raptor Lake Refresh.

Intel also says that its Lion Cove performance core architecture has a 9% IPC uplift over its previous-gen Raptor Cove performance cores.

In addition to the new P-core and E-Core architecture, the new Core Ultra 200 series processors will feature Intel Xe-LPG graphics architecture, the same architecture that powers Intel's Arc Alchemist graphics cards.

This gives the CPU's integrated GPU powerful new hardware-accelerated ray tracing support, as well as Intel XeSS support built right into the CPU.

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