Intel has been building chips designed for gaming PCs for years but the company is now moving into handheld devices too.

Intel launched Panther Lake, its new AI chip for laptops, on Monday at the CES trade show in Las Vegas, as the company seeks to reassure investors about the first product made using its next-generation manufacturing process called 18A.

Intel stock jumps 8% as it ships first 18A Panther Lake Core Ultra Series 3 chips; rollout details, AI performance, and $50 Buy upgrade—read now.

The unveiling of the AI PC chips during the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas marked Intel’s first launch of a product using its latest 18A manufacturing process. Intel said Tuesday that the Core Ultra Series 3 chips, dubbed “Panther Lake, are in production, ramping, and available for order this week.

Intel introduced its latest processors at CES 2026, debuting the "Panther Lake" Intel Core Ultra Series 3. The chips are the most advanced manufactured in the U.S., according to Intel, and they are built on Intel's 18A process.

Here are all the details on the Intel Core Ultra Series 3 that you’ll find in practically every laptop this year.

My test laptop was a non-descript Lenovo machine with an Intel Core Ultra X9 388H onboard, the top-end Panther Lake CPU from the new lineup. Still, the lack of discrete graphics hardware means I didn't subject the poor lappy to path tracing, or even ultra settings, at least at first.

On Tuesday, TechCrunch reported that Intel was developing a chip specifically designed to power handheld gaming devices. The new chips are expected to help Intel take share in a mobile gaming chip market that could exceed $45 billion by 2030, according to MarketResearch.com.

Intel stock soared on Wednesday, extending a recent run-up fueled by increasing confidence in its foundry business.