This year, Intel will launch its 14th-generation Meteor Lake processors. Before the launch, the company announced major changes to its nomenclature for naming processors. Starting with its upcoming Meteor Lake processors, these changes affect not only its Core series processors but also its most advanced processors.
Dropping off letter ‘i’
Today, the company announced three sets of changes. It is removing the ‘i’ from its Core series processors. In addition, Intel says these changes will appear on badges, brand strings, and text. In simple terms, these changes will not only affect Intel’s own platform but also the devices and platforms where Intel chips are used. As a result of this change, Intel Core i3 processors will become Intel Core 3. It is also expected that Core i5, Core i7, and Core i9 processors will be simply referred to as Core 5, Core 7, and Core 9.
Adding up the new Ultra lineup:
Intel is also bringing its premium chips, including the upcoming Meteor Lake processors, under the new ‘Ultra’ branding to its processor lineup. Intel Core Ultra 5 processor, Intel Core Ultra 7 processor, and Intel Core Ultra 9 processor will be the names of the new chips.
Ditching the iteration aka numbering:
The third change to the company’s processor naming lineup relates to the placement of generational information in the names. At present, the chipmaker specifies the generation of the chip before the processor’s name. As an example, it states, 13th Gen Intel Core i7 processor. With the Meteor Lake processor, Intel is changing all of that and moving generational information to the back. This means that the 13th Gen Intel Core i7 processor will become Intel Core Ultra 7 processor ##xx* now.
The timing of these changes is critical, according to Intel. Meteor Lake represents an inflection point in Intel’s client processor roadmap, according to the company. It will be the first client processor manufactured on Intel’s new 4-process node. With Foveros’ advanced 3D packaging technology, it is the first client chipset that delivers improved power efficiency and graphics performance. In announcing the changes, Intel noted that it is the first Intel client processor to feature a dedicated AI engine: Intel AI Boost.
The company also said that the changes will make it easier for people to identify the right processor for their devices and distinguish between various processors.
