Intel is planning to produce multiple low-power mobile processors, offering at least four LPE cores alongside a mix of P-Cores and Xe3 graphics cores, according to a recent leak. Joining the Wildcat Lake product family, these CPUs seemingly focus on power-efficient operation and low heat output.
According to leaker Jaykihn on X, Intel is planning two slightly different series. The first, called Moon Lake, is designed as a very low-power option, packing only four LPE (low-power efficient) cores without any P-Cores for performance. This arrangement allows it to be configured as low as 6W (base power), with a configurable cTDP up to 15W.
The leaker indicated that Moon Lake will reuse the Darkmont LPE cores found in current architectures like Panther Lake. Furthermore, despite lacking any P-Cores, Moon Lake is said to be a multi-tile processor (not monolithic). While its iGPU configuration remains unknown, it’s unlikely to exceed the two Xe3 cores found in the Wildcat Lake Core 300 series. Put simply, Moon Lake is basically a smaller Wildcat Lake without any P-Cores.
In parallel to Moon Lake, Intel is also expected to launch a new Wildcat Lake Refresh chip, perhaps forming part of its existing Core Series 3 lineup. The current lineup offers up to two Cougar Cove P-Cores plus four Darkmont LPE cores, with up to two Xe3 GPU cores.
This refreshed variant will reportedly pack four P-Cores plus four LPE cores, basically adding two of the former to the mix. This should give it a measurable performance advantage in heavy tasks, without impacting its efficiency when running small tasks or idling. Understandably, the power rating slightly changes to accommodate the extra cores, now apparently offering a configurable cTDP between 10W and 35W, with a base power of 15W. Integrated graphics will probably remain at two Xe3 cores.
Most notably, this refresh brings Intel vPro support, which was missing on the original Wildcat Lake chips. This means we’re likely to see these new processors inside laptops aimed at enterprises, as well as small businesses.
Both Moon Lake and Wildcat Lake Refresh are expected to be manufactured using Intel’s 18A node. According to Jaykihn, they are also set to use the same BGA1516 package as existing Wildcat Lake chips.
Thanks to their low power ratings, these chips will potentially be great for passively-cooled machines, especially the Moon Lake series. We may also see them inside embedded devices or budget NAS units. That said, Intel has yet to confirm their existence, let alone a release date.
