Now it's for sure, Intel is dropping the Core i3, i5 and i7 name that has been used since 2006, in favor of a new name: Intel Core Ultra. This rebound was confirmed by Intel at the launch of the new generation of Meteor Lake processors.
Since 2006, Intel has sold processors under the Core "i" brand. It all started with the Core i3, i5 and i7, but the family expanded in 2017 with the addition of the very high-end Core i9. However, these four processor names, which had become performance indicators for personal computers, are going to be changed by Intel to a new name.
The future Meteor Lake chips will all be named Core Ultra. This information was confirmed yesterday on Twitter by Bernard Fernandes, in charge of communications at Intel, who announced a change in the brand.
" Yes, we are making changes to our brand as we are at a turning point in our customer roadmap in preparation for the upcoming launch of our #MeteorLake processors . We will provide more details on these exciting changes in the coming weeks! #Intel "
Since 2006, Intel has sold processors under the Core "i" brand. It all started with the Core i3, i5, and i7, but the family expanded in 2017 with the addition of the very high-end Core i9. However, these four processor names, which had become performance indicators for personal computers, are going to be changed by Intel to a new name.
A leak from Benchleaks indicates that one of the Meteor Lake processors will be named Core Ultra 5, but it's not yet clear if it will be an upgraded version of the Core i5 or if there will be more subtle differentiations between the chips in the new Core Ultra name. Fortunately, we will know more about Meteor Lake very soon.
In fact, during the company's annual earnings conference, the semiconductor giant announced to its shareholders that production of Meteor Lake chips will begin in the second half of 2023. On the other hand, Intel also announced the discontinuation of its mobile business. We still don't know if these processors will be sold at attractive prices or if they will remain in the current range.
According to the information Intel has released so far, the next generation of Meteor Lake processors are expected to use the Intel 4 7nm etch process. The chips will feature a new architecture, hybrid cores, reduced power consumption, a new graphics engine and built-in artificial intelligence acceleration.
As one Twitter user pointed out in response to Bernard Fernandes, most Meteor Lake processors will be updated versions of Raptor Lake. Unlike with the launch of the Core "i" series in 2006, this name change won't represent a major technological breakthrough. It is probably more of a marketing operation to refresh the brand, while Intel Core processors are in their fourteenth generation.
