Intel releases a new generation of series chips at CES! Enhanced battery life, architecture reasons do not support Copilot+

Author: Zhao Yuhe

Source: Hard AI

Intel Corporation is attempting to turn the tide after experiencing its worst year since going public in 1971.

At the annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Intel announced that new computers equipped with the latest generation Core Ultra processors will begin to hit the market this month. The new series of chips will help laptops achieve the longest battery life. However, the vast majority of new products cannot obtain Microsoft AI assistant Copilot+ certification due to architectural reasons.

Largest New Product Launch Since CEO Resignation: Reduced Power Consumption and Enhanced AI Performance

This product launch is the largest since the company's board forced CEO Pat Gelsinger to resign. The new chip lineup ranges from the Core 3 for light tasks to the more powerful Core Ultra 200H, with the Core Ultra series 2 being Intel's brand new high-performance product line aimed at enhancing performance in two key areas: battery life and the ability to run artificial intelligence functions.

Each new Core Ultra processor offers low power (35 watts), standard power (65 watts), and high power (125 watts) versions, with core counts ranging from 14 to 24. Some models also feature Intel's latest Wi-Fi 7 technology and built-in memory support.

Similar to recent generations of chips, these new processors utilize a combination of core architectures, including P-cores (performance cores) focused on high-performance computing tasks, E-cores (efficient cores) optimized for efficiency, and low-power E-cores suitable for lightweight tasks that further enhance power efficiency.

Intel claims that the latest generation of P-cores has been redesigned with AI-driven power management and other optimization technologies, while the new E-cores are the most efficient versions to date.

According to Intel, laptops from HP using its new processors can run Microsoft Teams for up to 10.5 hours on a single charge. When users utilize Microsoft's cloud-based Office suite 365, the battery life can reach 20.3 hours. In comparison, Intel states that Dell devices equipped with Qualcomm Snapdragon processors have battery lives of 9.2 hours and 18.5 hours under the same conditions.

Additionally, some models, such as the Core Ultra 200H chip, come with Intel's flagship built-in graphics card Intel Arc and utilize XMX technology. Meanwhile, models like Core Ultra 200S, 200U, and 200HX are equipped with Intel's standard graphics card (Intel Graphics)

The Core Ultra series chips also integrate Intel's AI accelerator technology AI Boost, further enhancing the processing capabilities for AI workloads. The Core Ultra 200V, HX, H, and U series also incorporate Intel's Neural Processing Unit (NPU) for running AI applications and AI features in Windows 11.

Intel has also highlighted performance improvements in certain Core Ultra processors. For example, the Core Ultra 285's graphics performance is 2.9 times better than the previous generation Core i9 processor 14900; the Core Ultra 285H runs Meta's text generation AI model Llama 3 8B 3.3 times faster than the Core Ultra 9 processor 185H.

Intel stated that PCs equipped with Core Ultra 200V, HX, H, U, and S chips will begin to be available this month, while systems with Ultra 200H are expected to launch in early Q1 of this year, and Ultra 200HX devices are anticipated to be available by the end of Q1.

Meanwhile, during Intel's CES 2025 presentation on January 6, Intel's interim co-CEO Michelle Johnston announced that the first Intel 18A process chip — the Intel Panther Lake processor will be released in the second half of 2025.

Johnston also showcased samples of the Panther Lake chip and stated that the chip is already in testing, expressing her satisfaction with 18A. Johnston announced that the Intel 18A process will be "released later this year." She stated, "Intel will continue to enhance its AI PC product lineup in 2025 and beyond, providing customers with leading Intel 18A product samples and mass production in the second half of 2025."

New products do not support Copilot+ functionality due to architectural reasons

However, reports indicate that the majority of the new chips released by Intel this time cannot support Microsoft's AI assistant Copilot functionality due to architectural reasons.

Currently, Intel's Core Ultra 200 series employs two architectures: Lunar Lake and Arrow Lake. However, only the Lunar Lake notebook chips used in the Core Ultra 200V series utilize Intel's latest GPU architecture and faster NPU, thus supporting Copilot+ functionality.

At this CES, although Intel further refined the product line of the Core Ultra 200 series, it is important to note that, aside from the Core Ultra 200V, the vast majority of the new processors are based on the Arrow Lake architecture rather than Lunar Lake. **

This means that these new processors are not sufficient to obtain Copilot+ certification and cannot use upcoming features like Windows Recall. In addition, their integrated graphics performance is also inferior to the Core Ultra 200V series.

Analysis suggests that the reason Intel chose to use Arrow Lake instead of Lunar Lake for its new series of chips may be due to cost issues. Former CEO Pat Gelsinger referred to the design of Lunar Lake as a "one-time design," as integrating RAM into the CPU package incurs additional costs. Intel stated at the time that this design could save motherboard space and reduce power consumption, but these advantages did not carry over to other product lines.

Slow product launches and technological missteps have led to Intel being viewed as a weak player

Intel has been facing increasingly fierce competition in the laptop processor market. For years, Intel has been the world's largest chip manufacturer due to its dominant position in the computer processor market. Analysts believe that production technology missteps and slow product launch speeds have provided opportunities for long-time competitors and new entrants to the market. Last month, Intel's board dismissed its CEO, citing the need to improve the product line.

Although Intel still holds over 70% of the personal computer processor market based on its X86 chip standard, this position has significantly declined, allowing competitor AMD to gain market share. Meanwhile, new competitors in the PC processor market view Intel as an increasingly vulnerable rival.

For example, Qualcomm is trying to replicate Apple's success by introducing Arm-based chips into the computer market, a standard that has been widely adopted in the smartphone sector. Proponents argue that these chips are architecturally more efficient and can extend device battery life. Arm has stated that other companies will also launch PC chips based on its technology soon.

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