Intel recently launched its very first Meteor Lake Core Ultra mobile CPUs, which is significant news in the world of technology. This chipset generation is groundbreaking as it is the first to integrate a Neural Processing Unit (NPU) into the CPU and GPU. The Arc GPU is also receiving a major upgrade, with Intel replacing the Iris Xe integrated graphics. The CPU’s new GPU and NPU mean that the Meteor Lake chipsets will be more efficient and offer significantly better performance in AI and graphics tasks. These enhancements are great, enabling hardware-accelerated ray tracing, mesh shading, and AV1 encode and decode.

In addition to these advancements, Intel has made a few changes to the typical schedule for processor release. For the Meteor Lake generation, the company has chosen to release only mobile chipsets, as opposed to desktop chipsets. This decision signifies the importance of getting NPUs into the hands of customers as quickly as possible. The release schedule was moved up so that the first Meteor Lake PCs could begin shipping before the end of the year. PC makers can expect to announce new laptops based on Meteor Lake chipsets at CES.

It is notable that the release schedule changes are a one-time adjustment. Following the Meteor Lake generation, Intel will revert back to its typical release schedule. Another change is that there will no longer be a P-series family of Meteor Lake chips, based on feedback from customers and PC maker partners.

Furthermore, Intel is continuing to endorse its Evo brand specifications for laptops, introduced in late 2020 to counter the momentum of the M1 Apple Silicon chipsets. Intel Evo edition laptops are expected to include new features such as Windows Studio Effects support, requiring an NPU, which is an encouraging sign for the future.