Intel's Arrow Lake Refresh: Back On the Menu for Late 2025
We thought that the rumors regarding Intel's Arrow Lake Refresh (ARL-R) had fizzled out, but new leaks suggest that it might be back on. It seems that Intel might have yet another refresh planned for its Arrow Lake series, impacting both desktop and laptop markets, potentially before the end of 2025.
What's New with Arrow Lake Refresh
According to the latest rumors, this refresh, which had previously been assumed to be off the table, is once again on Intel's roadmap. If the rumors are accurate, we can expect this update to be concentrated primarily on the high-end K-series processors in the upcoming Core Ultra 200 series.
Don't expect a monumental performance leap. The refresh is likely to provide:
- Higher Clock Speeds: Squeezing a bit more performance out of the existing architecture.
- NPU Improvements: Improvements to the Neural Processing Unit, which grows increasingly important for AI workloads.
One thing that does appear to be confirmed is that we won't see a core count boost with this particular refresh. The focus appears to be on refinement rather than a major architectural shift.
Socket Lifespan and Future Generations
This news also gives us a glimpse into Intel's socket strategy. Here's a quick rundown of how things might pan out:
- Intel LGA-1200: Home to 12th Gen (Alder Lake-S), 13th Gen (Raptor Lake-S), and 14th Gen (Raptor Lake-S Refresh).
- Intel LGA-1851: Should be home to the Core (Ultra) 200 series (Arrow Lake-S) and this potential Core (Ultra) 200 Refresh (Arrow Lake-S Refresh).
- Intel LGA-1954 (Speculative): Likely for the Core (Ultra) 300 series (Nova Lake-S), but the details are unknown.
An interesting tidbit from the leak is one of timing. With the Core 300 series, on the Panther Lake architecture, due later this year, the Arrow Lake Refresh (Core 200 series) would precede it. This would possibly mean that the LGA-1851 socket would only have one primary generation (Arrow Lake) and its refresh before Intel would move on.
When Can We Expect It
While nothing is confirmed until we hear officially from Intel, the current rumor is that the Arrow Lake Refresh will hit the market before the closing of 2025. So, we must wait a bit longer as more concrete information emerges.
