Hardware leaker Jaykihn has shared what's believed to be the preliminary power specifications for Intel's upcoming Panther Lake-H CPUs, which are set to be used later this year in a new slate of laptops and mobile devices, which were previously shown off at CES 2025.
The alleged preliminary spec details three variants of chips within the series, denoting performance, efficiency, and Xe3 cores. These chips are set to be based on Intel's upcoming Celestial architecture. They will likely materialize as Intel's Core Ultra 300H series, and the alleged preliminary power specifications allow some speculation about the kinds of devices the company will target.
The first variant shows off a 16-core chip with a 4+8+4 configuration. Assuming this means four performance cores, eight efficiency cores, and four GPU cores. This specific configuration will likely reside in systems alongside a dedicated GPU. PL1 (Performance Base Power - PBP) and PL2 (Maximum Turbo Power - MTP) in both baseline and performance power modes will pull 25W and 64W- respectively.
Panther Lake -H (PTL-H)Power specification update.Preliminary. pic.twitter.com/UEstu0QXyJFebruary 14, 2025
The 4+8+4 configuration has notably fewer efficiency cores than its previous-gen counterparts. The same can be said for the second variant listed, featuring a 24-core configuration split into 4+8+12. This may indicate its suitability for a higher-end device with four performance cores, eight efficiency cores, and 12 GPU cores. The PBP is listed at a baseline of 25W, with an MTP of 55W. In the 'performance' mode, this changes to 25W and 64W, respectively.
The cTDP Max headroom on both chip configurations lists higher wattages, up to 80W MTP. This might imply that both chips have some headroom built for burst-heavy tasks like rendering. However, they are also set to be more efficient than the Core Ultra 200H series, which could boost into 100W+ territory.
The final listing is for a seemingly lower-end eight-core chip with a configuration of 4+0+4. This will likely be the Core Ultra 300U chip, set to be used in entry-level devices or gaming handhelds. This configuration can run with a PBP of just 15W and an MTP of 44W under the 'baseline' power mode, while it boosts up to a similar 25W PBP and 55W MTP under the 'performance' mode.
This tells us that Intel is starting to get serious about efficiency in its mobile chips. While AMD has long held the efficiency crown for x86 mobile devices, this initial power spec may be a step in the right direction for Intel. AMD has gained ground on Intel in both the desktop and laptop CPU market, with competition fiercer than ever. Intel's Panther Lake H CPUs will be produced in volume on the company's 18A (1.8nm-class) process in 2H 2025. The products are expected to be on shelves in early 2026.
