Intel confirms new Core CPU names: New names, launch dates, and more

Intel Core CPUs are finally getting a rebranding, and the company will be introducing chips with the new names this year itself. Previously, it was leaked that it was considering renaming its entire CPU lineup to drop the 'i' from the names. The leak was confirmed in a press release yesterday where the company announced the rebranding of the entire Core CPU lineup to Core and Core Ultra for PCs, "evolving" the Intel Evo platform, and introducing new vPro Enterprise and vPro Essentials device labels.

The changes are being undertaken because the new Meteor Lake lineup represents an "inflection point" in the Intel processor lineup. Team Blue also declared that the new Core CPU lineup will be built with AI workloads in mind (much like AMD's new Ryzen AI engine) and will bring better power efficiency and graphics performance.

The upcoming chips will also be the first chips built on the Intel 4 process node and based on the chiplet design thanks to the company's new Foveros advanced 3D packaging technology.

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Why are Intel Core CPUs dropping the 'i' from the name?

The main reason cited by Intel is to help customers better understand the processors and their purported use case. Earlier, all Team Blue chips, including low-power and high-end enthusiast-grade offerings, used to be clubbed under the Core iX brand name. The new naming pattern separates that into Intel Core and Core Ultra brands.

The new nomenclature will include Core 3/5/7/9 and Core 3/5/7/9 Ultra processors. As the name suggests, the Ultra chips will most likely be developed for gamers and professionals.

A rough guess can be that the non-K offerings will be under the non-Ultra lineup, with the overclocking-enabled K SKUs under the higher-end lineup. This will make it much easier to differentiate the chips from each other.

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When will Intel Core 3/5/7/9 and Core 3/5/7/9 Ultra processors launch?

Intel has been rather cryptic in its press release about the exact launch date/window of the new Core CPUs. However, several mentions have mentioned that the new naming scheme will be adopted in the next generation.

Since Intel generally launches new chips every Fall (late October to early November), we can assume that Meteor Lake chips with the new branding will hit the market in Q4 2023.

Do take this assumption with a grain of salt because, so far, there has been no confirmation on Team Blue's part.