Intel claims its second-generation AI chips surpass the efficiency of their ARM-based counterparts from Qualcomm and Apple.
Intel has introduced its latest AI-powered laptop processors just days before IFA 2024. Dubbed Lunar Lake, the new Core Ultra 200V series is being hailed as the most efficient family of x86 processors Intel has ever produced. These processors are set to drive a “new class of AI PCs.”
The Core Ultra 200V series represents a significant leap from Intel’s first generation of AI PC chips, offering substantial advancements across CPU, GPU, and NPU components. Jim Johnson, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Intel’s Client Business Group, described the Core Ultra 200V processors as “the most efficient processors we have ever built without compromise.”
The latest chips feature a completely new architecture, design, and construction, marking Intel’s first laptop chips with a memory-on-chip design, similar to Apple’s M series processors.
Intel Core Ultra 200V CPU Architecture
The Lunar Lake chips are available in nine different models, with the Intel Core Ultra 9 288V leading the pack. This flagship processor boasts an octa-core CPU with four high-performance Lion Cove P-cores, delivering 15% more performance per watt and a 14% improvement in instructions per cycle (IPC) over its predecessor, with peak clock speeds reaching up to 5.1 GHz. The remaining four cores, known as Skymont E-cores, offer double the AI throughput and a 68% IPC increase.
Lunar Lake chips feature 50% lower package power compared to previous generations, enabling up to 20 hours of active battery life, surpassing the Snapdragon X Elite. Intel also claims that the Core Ultra 9 288V outperforms Apple’s M3 chip in multi-threaded tasks.
Intel Core Ultra 200V GPU Architecture
The Lunar Lake series includes new integrated Xe2 graphics with eight cores, delivering up to 30% better performance compared to Intel’s previous generation (Intel Arc 140V/Intel Arc 130V). These GPUs support advanced features like ray tracing and AI upscaling, making them some of the fastest built-in GPUs available.
In terms of gaming performance, the Xe2 140V graphics in the Core Ultra 9 288V is 15% faster than AMD’s Radeon 800M found in the Ryzen HX 370 processor, especially in popular titles like Cyberpunk 2077 and Diablo IV. However, it’s difficult to compare with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite, as many games are incompatible with it. For those that do work, Intel’s Xe2 graphics deliver 68% better performance.
The Lunar Lake processors enable 1080p gaming on thin-and-light laptops with superior frame rates while consuming 30% less power than the AMD HX 370 and 50% less than the Snapdragon X Elite. Overall, Lunar Lake chips can offer an average of 75 FPS at 1080p while using around 31W of power.
Intel Core Ultra 200V NPU Architecture
Lunar Lake processors offer up to 120 Tera Operations per Second (TOPs) of combined AI performance across the CPU, GPU, and NPU. The newly enhanced NPU provides up to 48 TOPs, making it 20% more powerful than the Hexagon NPU on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite chip.
Intel has confirmed that laptops powered by Lunar Lake processors will receive Copilot+ PC features in November through a Windows 11 update, features currently limited to Snapdragon-powered devices.
Intel’s Core Ultra 200V series will also include an integrated networking modem with Wi-Fi 7 support. Officially launching on September 24, the new processors will be featured in over 80 laptops from 20 different brands, with pre-orders for select models beginning today. An announcement for India is expected on September 12.
