We’re seeing a lot of stuff getting announced at CES 2026 , and Intel is not staying behind. It is unveiling the Core Ultra Series 3 processors. This is the first AI PC platform built on Intel 18A semiconductor process technology . This delivers performance and graphics improvements over the previous generation. The Core Ultra Series 3 processors feature performance and efficiency cores.
Intel’s Core Ultra Series 3 CPUs make headlines at CES 2026
Within the Intel Core Ultra Series 3 mobile lineup, the Ultra X9 and X7 processors integrate Intel Arc graphics . The company claims they’re for multitaskers with heavy workloads like gaming , creation, and productivity. The top SKUs feature up to 16 CPU cores, 12 Xe graphics cores, and 50 NPU TOPS. Intel claims significant gains, with 60% better multithread performance, over 77% faster gaming performance, and up to 27 hours of battery life.
The Series 3 family also includes Intel Core processors, designed to power mainstream mobile systems. Leveraging the same foundational architecture of Intel Core Ultra Series 3, the Core lineup will power laptops at lower price points.
First compute platform built on Intel 18A semiconductor process
Intel Core Ultra Series 3 chips are also certified for commercial applications. In critical edge AI workloads, Intel is claiming up to 1.9x higher large language model (LLM) performance and up to 4.5x higher throughput in vision language action (VLA) models. The integrated AI acceleration enables superior total cost of ownership (TCO) through a single system on chip (SoC) solution versus traditional multi-chip CPU and GPU architectures.
Intel says pre-orders for the first consumer laptops with Intel Core Ultra Series 3 processors will begin January 6th, 2026. General availability will begin globally starting from January 27th, 2026, depending on the region. Intel says the Core Ultra Series 3 CPUs will be available on more than 200 laptops from OEM partners worldwide. Additionally, Edge systems powered by Intel Core Ultra Series 3 will be available starting Q2 2026.
