Rather than prioritising enterprise markets, Intel will put consumers first with its upcoming Nova Lake processors. That’s according to VP and GM of the firm’s enthusiast channel, Robert Hallock, during a recent interview when asked about AMD’s decision to launch Zen 6 on servers first. Rather than focus on its competitor’s strategy, though, Hallock was keen to drum up hype for Intel’s new chips.
Speaking to Tom’s Hardware, Hallock took a subtle dig at AMD’s enterprise-first approach for Zen 6, via its new 6th gen Epyc processors. He said, “I think it’s a natural reaction for them. Makes a lot of sense. What I would say is, as we think about our own roadmap, I have a new core. It’s coming to desktop first. I mean, I hope enthusiasts do the math about that one.”
While Hallock didn’t mention Nova Lake by name, we know that’s the next core architecture we can expect from Intel. We still don’t know when exactly the new processors will arrive, beyond a broad 2026 release window given back in September 2025. However, a motherboard sporting a Z990 chipset did sneak its way into Computex this year, so the launch may not be far off.
It’s no secret that Intel has lost a fair bit of share to AMD in the desktop world, particularly in gaming circles, following the disappointing performance of Arrow Lake. Hallock acknowledges some of the scepticism surrounding the company’s next efforts, despite the release of much-improved Arrow Lake Refresh offerings, with a powerful statement of intent: “the signal Intel is trying to send is, like, we’re gearing up for one of the most significant desktop CPU launches we have ever had.”
Of course, one could just interpret this as marketing speak in a bid to create excitement, but Hallock does tease some behind-the-scenes changes at Intel that instil confidence. In an interview with Club386 earlier this year, Hallock said that future Intel CPU sockets could support more generations, and added some context.
“I, my team, we are ourselves, first and foremost, PC builders and enthusiasts. Every single one of us has built their own PC, games on that PC,” Hallock told us. “That was not always the case at Intel. But there is a new product management team; there is a new business team; there is a new marketing team; there is a new engineering team for these gaming CPUs.
“And we are not ignorant of the feedback that comes in about our products. We watch it very closely… some of that feedback we can act on in a six-month time span, a year-long time span, a three-year time span. But we are listening, and that feedback matters quite a lot. It absolutely influences how we think about our products and our roadmap.”
This shift in structure and philosophy is apparently already bearing fruit. “I have all the new CPUs all the way out to 2030,” Hallock told Tom’s Hardware. “I have [a] back-to-back to back cadence of product for gamers, for desktop, built for that purpose. Obviously I can’t go into what any of that is, but I am accelerating for the gaming market… we’re moving faster than we ever have in product, in release cadence.”
For the moment, all we can do is take Hallock at his word, as the proof will be in the pudding. A faster release cadence doesn’t necessarily mean more regular leaps in performance, as the likes of Raptor Lake Refresh have shown. Earlier this year, Hallock shared with us his ambition for Intel to reclaim the fastest gaming processor crown, while committing to continue Raptor Lake support in the midst of the DRAM crisis.
For more processor chatter, check out our picks of the best CPUs on the market today.
