Intel PR Confirms Chip Branding Changes in the Works: Core i Series to Give Way to Ultra?
by Ryan Smith on May 1, 2023 3:00 PM EST- Posted in
- CPUs
- Intel
- Core
- Meteor Lake
- Core Ultra
In an unusual move, Intel's director of global communications, Bernard Fernandes, took to Twitter this morning to confirm that the chip giant is preparing some chip branding change for later this year. Citing that the company is at an “inflection point” ahead of the launch of their Meteor Lake architecture client CPUs later this year, Intel is apparently developing something new for branding their first mass-scale chiplet-based consumer CPU.
Yes, we are making brand changes as we’re at an inflection point in our client roadmap in preparation for the upcoming launch of our #MeteorLake processors. We will provide more details regarding these exciting changes in the coming weeks! #Intel
— Bernard Fernandes (@Bernard_P) May 1, 2023
While the tweet in question doesn’t specifically address what it’s in response to, from context and timing it’s almost certainly a reaction to recent rumors that Intel is preparing to change their branding strategy for their Core family of consumer chips. And while it’s AnandTech policy not to republish or otherwise comment on rumors, an official comment from a high-ranking Intel PR representative means that this is no longer a mere rumor, and that changes are indeed in the works.
The current Core paradigm has been in place since late 2008 with the launch of the generational Core family and the now familiar i3/i5/i7 tiers. While Intel has since added the i9 tier and played with suffixes a few times in the last 15 years, Core branding has remained relatively consistent as a whole for what’s become 13 generations of parts.
But if the rumors are true, then the Core family will soon lose its i-series moniker. Based on benchmark data uploaded to the Ashes of the Singularity benchmark results database – a notorious source of leaks from hardware testers who neglect to turn off results reporting – an Intel Core Ultra 5 1003H has been spotted in the database. Which in turn suggests that Intel is intending to phase out the Core i-series branding for new Core Ultra branding.
To be sure, Intel’s tweet does not confirm the Ultra branding; and Ashes alone is not an authoritative source. But given that Intel has opted to confirm that they are making some brand changes to align with the Meteor Lake launch, if it's not Ultra, then some other kind of branding change is clearly in the works.
Source: Intel
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dwillmore - Monday, May 1, 2023 - link
Coming after such a bad quarter, a rebranding sounds like a "New Coke" kind of moment for Intel.Ken_g6 - Monday, May 1, 2023 - link
Maybe they wanted another tier, one that would go to 11, but they thought "i11!!!" was too silly and confusing.name99 - Tuesday, May 2, 2023 - link
Honestly the i11lL! sounds like a pretty cool chip!shabby - Monday, May 1, 2023 - link
Can't wait for the Intel Ultra 9 Max PRO!hansip87 - Monday, May 1, 2023 - link
i think this is to mark the changes from monolithic to tiled CPU. but i'm not sure if i to Ultra will make it simpler or not. Most that i can think of, will just differentiate the old from the new, but nothing else.ikjadoon - Monday, May 1, 2023 - link
Meh. Don't love the name. I dislike the last digit being a modifier; that 1003H?! Come on.But also...why does Intel feel forced to rename its CPUs every time it has a node shrink?
Kaby Lake: i7-7500U
Kaby Lake R: i7-8650U
Ice Lake: ✨ i7-1065G7 ✨
Tiger Lake: i7-1165G7
Alder Lake: i7-1265U
Raptor Lake: i7-1365U
Meteor Lake: Core Ultra 7 1007 (?)
Apple, AMD, Qualcomm, etc. don't revamp their branding every time there's a node shrink.
xol - Tuesday, May 2, 2023 - link
.. mmh the i7-1065g7 is not a logical follow on from either of the Kaby lake parts . UHD 620 is 24 EU, Iris Pro from Ice lake onwards is 64 EU or more ..8650 successor would be be a G1 or G4 part - if it existed maybe i7-10610U
ikjadoon - Tuesday, May 2, 2023 - link
mmh, that's Intel's upgrades. By that logic, the i7-1265U shouldn't even be on this chart due to its higher core count.It's not as complicated as you're making it.
It is the flagship mainstream 15W processor, or close enough. It's meant to explain the names and nothing, nada, else.
xol - Thursday, May 4, 2023 - link
oh I see what you mean.. I guess the G7 change was to emphasise that their mobile chips had igpu that could do more than 2d desktop .. but why drop it 3 gens later with alder lake??anyway compared to amd's latest numbering scheme anything looks sane - intel preparing a response as we speak
Flunk - Tuesday, May 2, 2023 - link
The most important part is that last letter, that's the one that tells you the series.Pretty much H>U>Y regardless of that i number. This has been one of the most effective confusion systems for public consumption. I'd had to explain this over so many people.