Intel Unveils Core Ultra Series 3, Ushering in a New Era of AI PCs at CES 2026

Las Vegas, January 5, 2026 — At CES today, Intel announced the launch of its Intel® Core™ Ultra Series 3 processors, marking the company’s first AI PC platform designed and manufactured in the United States using Intel’s advanced 18A process technology. The new platform is expected to power more than 200 designs from leading global partners, making it Intel’s most widely adopted and globally deployed AI PC platform to date.

“Our third-generation products are centered on higher energy efficiency, stronger CPU performance, the largest GPU in their class, enhanced AI capabilities, and dependable x86 application compatibility,” said Jim Johnson, Intel senior vice president and general manager of the Client Computing Group.

New Core Ultra X9 and X7 Mobile Processors

As part of the Intel® Core™ Ultra Series 3 mobile lineup, Intel introduced the new Core™ Ultra X9 and X7 processors, featuring high-performance integrated Intel® Arc™ graphics. Designed for users who demand seamless multitasking, these processors handle advanced workloads such as gaming, content creation, and productivity on the go.

Top-tier SKUs deliver up to 16 CPU cores, 12 Xe cores, and 50 TOPS of NPU performance, enabling up to 60% gains in multi-threaded performance¹, more than 77% higher gaming performance², and up to 27 hours of battery life³.

Broader Portfolio and Edge AI Expansion

The Series 3 family also includes Intel Core processors tailored for mainstream mobile systems. Built on the same underlying architecture as Core Ultra Series 3, these processors enable more affordable laptops with improved performance and efficiency.

Beyond PCs, Series 3 processors are accelerating AI adoption across robotics, smart cities, automation, and healthcare. For the first time, Intel’s Series 3 edge processors are certified for embedded and industrial applications, supporting extended temperature ranges, deterministic performance, and 24/7 reliability.

Competitive Edge AI Performance

Intel® Core™ Ultra Series 3 delivers notable advantages in edge AI workloads, including up to 1.9× higher large language model (LLM) performance⁴, up to 2.3× better end-to-end video analytics performance per watt per dollar⁵, and up to 4.5× higher visual-language-action (VLA) model throughput⁶. Compared with traditional multi-chip CPU and GPU architectures, the integrated AI acceleration within a single system-on-chip (SoC) offers a lower total cost of ownership (TCO).

Availability

Consumer laptops powered by Intel® Core™ Ultra Series 3 processors will begin pre-orders on January 6, 2026, with global availability starting January 27, 2026. Additional models will roll out throughout the first half of the year.
Edge computing systems based on Intel® Core™ Ultra Series 3 processors are expected to launch in Q1 2026.