Leading semiconductor companies showcased new AI-focused processors as they compete to capture a growing market for AI computing at the CES trade show in Las Vegas.
Intel launched its Panther Lake chips, marking the first products built on its next-generation 18A manufacturing process.
The Intel Core Ultra Series 3 chips feature a new transistor design and a separate graphics chiplet, promising 60% better performance than the previous Lunar Lake Series 2.
Intel plans to extend Panther Lake designs to handheld gaming PCs this year.
Jim Johnson, senior vice president and general manager of Intel’s PC group, outlined the technical improvements, while CEO Lip-Bu Tan said the company had fulfilled its commitment to ship 18A-based products in 2025.
The chips are aimed at regaining market share from Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), which also presented new AI processors at CES.
AMD CEO Lisa Su unveiled the MI455 AI processors for data centres, MI440X enterprise chips for on-premise use, and Ryzen AI 400 Series processors for AI PCs, highlighting their role in supporting customers like OpenAI.
Su also previewed the MI500 chip, claiming it offers 1,000 times the performance of older processors, with a 2027 launch planned.
NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang revealed that the company’s next-generation Vera Rubin platform, comprising six new chips, is in full production.
The flagship server will feature 72 graphics processing units and 36 central processors, which can be scaled into pods with over 1,000 chips.
Huang said the platform improves AI token generation efficiency by ten times and introduced new context memory storage for faster chatbot responses.
NVIDIA also announced advances in networking technology and new AI software for self-driving cars.
Analysts note that while Nvidia continues to dominate AI chip sales, both Intel and AMD are leveraging new designs and strategic partnerships to challenge the market leader.
The CES announcements underline the intensifying competition in AI and hybrid computing, which is driving innovation and investment across the semiconductor industry.
Reuters
