Nova Lake CPUs "Coming to Desktop First", Not Data Centres, According to Intel's Robert Hallock

Intel vice president Robert Hallock recently teased that upcoming Nova Lake CPUs will hit desktop first, rather than being made available in data centre products. The promise was made in a conversation with Tom's Hardware, with Hallock drawing a contrast between his firm and rivals AMD, who recently deployed their first Zen 6 CPUs in the form of Epyc enterprise products.

"I have a new core", he said. "It's coming to desktop first. I mean, I hope enthusiasts do the math about that one, and that's all I'm going to say".

The implication here is that Nova Lake's new CPU core design, rumoured to be codenamed Coyote Cove, will appear first in desktop silicon and only later make the jump to enterprise products.

AMD normally does release its new CPU architectures in desktop form first, but the ongoing AI boom (and corresponding components crisis) caused the company to shift gears and launch on enterprise first. As Hallock says, this is "a natural reaction", but it does have the potential to engender a bit of disappointment amongst gamers and other desktop users that have been weathering extremely expensive flash memory component prices alongside heavy delays (or outright cancellations) of new CPU and GPU products. The only new AMD CPUs we've seen recently have been effectively reissues of older models, with the 7700X3D proving to be a shade behind the 7800X3D and the 5800X3D simply returning to active production.

Intel is no doubt looking to recapture some market share (and user sentiment) with its upcoming CPUs following its efficient but oftentimes less powerful Core Ultra 200 series and its unreliable 12th to 14th-gen lineups. The new CPUs, Hallock says, are being prepared by the same team as the better-received Arrow Lake Refresh parts, and ought to turn form the basis of "one of the most significant desktop CPU launches we've ever had."

We'll of course be interested in testing the new CPUs once they've available, with the most recent rumours I've heard pointing towards a reveal at CES in January 2027 and roll-out soon afterwards.

Are you looking forward to new CPUs after what seems like an eternity? Let me know in the comments below.