Intel CPU

What Is?

Intel CPU (Central Processing Unit) refers to the family of processors designed and manufactured by Intel Corporation, one of the world's largest and most recognized semiconductor companies. Intel CPUs power a vast range of devices, from personal computers and laptops to servers and embedded systems.

Intel introduced its iconic Core processor brand in 2006, which has since evolved through many generations — each bringing improvements in performance, energy efficiency, and integrated features. Over the years, Intel has used internal codenames (such as Sandy Bridge, Skylake, and Raptor Lake) to identify the microarchitecture behind each generation. These generations are commonly referred to by their number (e.g., 1st Gen, 14th Gen) and span across the Core i3, i5, i7, and i9 product lines.

Starting with Meteor Lake (December 2023), Intel moved its mainstream line to the Core Ultra brand (Core Ultra 5, 7, 9), which adds a built-in NPU for AI workloads and is versioned as Series 1, Series 2, and Series 3 instead of generation numbers. Panther Lake (Core Ultra Series 3, 2026) is Intel's first client processor built on its own Intel 18A process.

Generation Table