Intel unveiled in South Korea the first flagship processor based on its most advanced 18A (angstrom) process, the Core Ultra Series 3 (codename: Panther Lake). It said choosing South Korea as the first regional launch market, shortly after sales began in the United States, reflected the strategic importance of the country in the AI PC market.

Intel on Jan. 28 held a media briefing for the 2026 Intel AI PC Showcase and introduced more than 30 designs of the latest AI PC laptops from nine manufacturers, including Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics, featuring the Core Ultra Series 3. Representatives from the nine laptop makers and distribution partners including Naver Shopping, Gmarket and Coupang attended the event.

Tae-won Bae (배태원), chief executive of Intel Korea, said, "Following the CES 2026 global launch, South Korea has become one of the first launch countries, reflecting the strategic importance of the Korean market in AI PCs." He added, "This year we will provide domestic consumers with a wide range of choices through a strong and diverse AI PC lineup spanning Intel Core Ultra Series 2 and Series 3."

Josh Newman (조쉬 뉴먼), head of Intel's consumer PC division, stressed that the Core Ultra Series 3 delivers strong performance across all workloads, including power efficiency, gaming, content creation and productivity, through Intel's 18A process.

He said, "Core Ultra Series 3 is the complete AI PC, with overwhelming power efficiency and graphics performance, and perfect x86 compatibility." He added, "Based on this unparalleled technology, we will work with Korean partners to take the AI PC ecosystem to the next level."

One of the core technologies Intel highlighted in the Core Ultra Series 3 is a hybrid CPU core strategy redesigned for the 18A process. Both the high-performance P-cores (Performance Core) and power-efficient E-cores (Efficiency Core) were fully redesigned based on the 18A process.

Newman explained, "The P-cores were redesigned to precisely control power delivery to each transistor and to enable more transistors to be placed in the same space, using 18A's RibbonFET and PowerVia technologies." He added, "This allowed us to raise power efficiency while drawing out maximum performance."

The E-cores were also redesigned to use the 18A process. Up to 8 E-cores were added compared with the previous generation, expanding multithread performance. The Low Power Island has 4 E-cores, and dedicated cache was added to each core so more workloads can be handled in a low-power state.

Newman said, "As we can perform more tasks in the Low Power Island, we can extend battery life while maintaining core performance." He added, "Improving the combination of P-cores and E-cores has advanced the hybrid core architecture by one step."

Core Ultra Series 3 delivers a 77 percent improvement in graphics performance, a 60 percent improvement in CPU performance and an almost twofold improvement in AI performance compared with the previous generation, Lunar Lake. It also uses up to 40 percent less power than the previous generation to deliver the same performance, and Intel stressed battery life is at a level where it can be discussed in days rather than hours.

"Beyond the PC to the edge"... expanding cooperation in smart factories and healthcare

At the briefing, Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics introduced new products featuring the Core Ultra Series 3. Min-cheol Lee (이민철), a vice president at Samsung Electronics, unveiled the Galaxy Book 6 series that combines Intel's 18A-based platform with Samsung's engineering capabilities.

Lee said, "Galaxy Book 6 is the result of Samsung and Intel working together to provide users with more powerful performance and productivity." He added, "By combining the next-generation 18A-based platform with Samsung's engineering capabilities, we have created a faster and more responsive environment."

Jin-hyuk Jang (장진혁), an executive vice president at LG Electronics, said, "LG Gram featuring the Intel Core Ultra Series 3 processor will deliver new possibilities and experiences that raise next-generation personal computing by one step, putting outstanding performance and strong power efficiency into an ultralight design."

Intel also shared collaboration results in smart factories, healthcare and gaming based on Intel processors through video messages from major domestic partners including Samsung Medison, LG Innotek and NCSoft. Bae said, "Based on Series 3 products built on the cutting-edge 18A process, we will work closely with domestic partners to expand Korea's AI computing ecosystem beyond AI PCs to the edge."

According to Intel, the share of Intel chip-based AI PCs sold through major domestic retail channels had already exceeded 40 percent as of 2025. Intel said it plans to meet the needs of all users this year with a lineup spanning Lunar Lake, Arrow Lake and Panther Lake.

It also addressed product supply and pricing policies tied to tariff negotiations between South Korea and the United States. Newman said, "I am not an expert enough to comment on policy and economic impacts," adding, "Our strategy is to secure a globally safe semiconductor supply chain."