Intel Core

For the 32-bit Intel Core Solo/Duo CPUs, see Yonah (microprocessor).

Intel Core

Logo since 2023
General information
Launched	January 2006 (2006-01)
Marketed by	Intel
Designed by	Intel
Common manufacturers	Intel TSMC
Performance
Max. CPU clock rate	400 MHz to 6.2 GHz
Physical specifications
Cores	P-cores: 1–8 E-cores: 4–16 Total: 1–24
GPU	Intel Graphics Technology / Intel Arc
Co-processor	NPU (Core Ultra)
Sockets	LGA 775 LGA 1156 LGA 1155 LGA 1150 LGA 1151 LGA 1200 LGA 1700 LGA 1851
Cache
L1 cache	Up to 112 KB per P-core 96 KB per E-core or LP E-core
L2 cache	Core and Core 2: Up to 12 MB Nehalem-present: Up to 3 MB per P-core and up to 4 MB per E-core cluster
L3 cache	Up to 36 MB
Architecture and classification
Technology node	65 nm to Intel 4 and TSMC N3/N5/N6
Microarchitecture	Core Nehalem Westmere Sandy Bridge Ivy Bridge Haswell Broadwell Skylake Sunny Cove Willow Cove Cypress Cove Golden Cove Raptor Cove Redwood Cove Lion Cove
Instruction set	x86-64
Instructions	MMX, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, SSSE3, SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AVX, AVX2, AVX-512, TSX, AES-NI, FMA3, AVX-VNNI
Extensions	EIST, TXT, VT-x, VT-d, SHA, SGX
Products, models, variants
Brand names	Core Core 2 Core i3/i5/i7/i9 Core 3/5/7 Core Ultra 5/7/9
Variant	Intel Processor (budget CPUs)
History
Predecessors	Pentium Celeron

A flagship model, the Intel Core i9-14900K

Intel Core is a line of multi-core (with the exception of Core Solo and Core 2 Solo) central processing units (CPUs) for midrange, embedded, workstation, high-end, enthusiast and gaming computer markets marketed by Intel Corporation. These processors displaced the existing mid- to high-end Pentium processors at the time of their introduction, moving the Pentium brand to the budget market. Identical or more capable versions of Core processors are also sold as Xeon processors for the server and workstation markets.

Core was launched in January 2006 as a mobile-only series, consisting of single-core and dual-core models. It was succeeded in July 2006 by the Core 2 series, which included desktop and mobile processors with up to four cores and introduced 64-bit support.

In 2008, Intel introduced the Core i3, Core i5, Core i7, and later Core i9 processor tiers to succeed Core 2.

A updated naming scheme was introduced in 2023, dropping the "i" prefix to consist of Core 3, Core 5, and Core 7 for mainstream processors, alongside "Core Ultra" (Core Ultra 5, Core Ultra 7, Core Ultra 9) for higher-end and AI-focused processors.

Overview

Although Intel Core is a brand that spans multiple generations and microarchitectures, the processors within this family share key design philosophies focusing on high performance-per-watt efficiency and deep instruction pipelining.

The first products under this designation were the Core Solo and Core Duo Yonah processors for laptops, derived from the Pentium M lineage and fabricated at 65 nm in January 2006.

The desktop lineup launched in July 2006 with the Core microarchitecture (Conroe), outperforming Pentium 4 processors across the board while operating at drastically lower clock rates and thermal output.

In November 2008, the Nehalem architecture introduced integrated memory controllers and the QuickPath Interconnect (QPI), replacing the traditional front-side bus. Subsequent microarchitectures brought instruction set extensions like Advanced Vector Extensions (AVX/AVX2/AVX-512), integrated graphics, heterogeneous hybrid core topologies (P-cores and E-cores in Alder Lake and Raptor Lake), and integrated NPUs for AI workloads (Core Ultra).

In June 2023, Intel announced that the processor branding "Core" with the letter "i" would be phased out in favor of "Core 3/5/7" and "Core Ultra 5/7/9".

Overview of Intel Core microarchitectures

Brand	Desktop				Mobile
	Codename	Cores	Process	Date released	Codename	Cores	Process	Date released
Core Solo / Duo	N/A				Yonah	1–2	65 nm	January 2006
Core 2 Solo / Duo / Quad	Conroe / Kentsfield / Yorkfield	2–4	65–45 nm	July 2006	Merom / Penryn	1–4	65–45 nm	July 2006
Core i3 / i5 / i7 (1st Gen)	Lynnfield / Bloomfield / Clarkdale	2–6	45–32 nm	November 2008	Clarksfield / Arrandale	2–4	45–32 nm	September 2009
2nd & 3rd Gen Core	Sandy Bridge / Ivy Bridge	2–6	32–22 nm	January 2011	Sandy Bridge / Ivy Bridge	2–4	32–22 nm	January 2011
4th & 5th Gen Core	Haswell / Broadwell	2–8	22–14 nm	June 2013	Haswell / Broadwell	2–4	22–14 nm	June 2013
6th to 10th Gen Core	Skylake to Comet Lake	2–10	14–10 nm	August 2015	Skylake to Ice Lake / Comet Lake	2–8	14–10 nm	September 2015
11th to 14th Gen Core	Rocket Lake to Raptor Lake Refresh	4–24	14 nm – Intel 7	March 2021	Tiger Lake to Raptor Lake Refresh	4–24	10 nm – Intel 7	September 2020
Core Ultra (Series 1 & 2)	Arrow Lake	Up to 24	TSMC N3B	October 2024	Meteor Lake / Lunar Lake / Arrow Lake	Up to 16	Intel 4 / TSMC N3B	December 2023

Intel Core sub-brand logos, from 2023 to present

• 
  Core 3
• 
  Core 5
• 
  Core 7
• 
  Core Ultra 5
• 
  Core Ultra 7
• 
  Core Ultra 9

Core series

Core Solo and Core Duo

Main articles: Enhanced Pentium M (microarchitecture) and Yonah (microprocessor)

The original Core brand referred to Intel's 32-bit mobile CPUs released in January 2006 based on the Yonah core. Core Solo featured a single active core, while Core Duo contained two cores integrated on a single die sharing an L2 cache. These were the first Intel processors used across Apple's Macintosh computer lineup during the Mac transition to Intel processors.

Here is the section cleanly formatted in standard Wikipedia wikitext syntax:

Core 2

Main articles: Intel Core 2 and Intel Core (microarchitecture)

Released in July 2006, the Core 2 brand expanded the Core family to 64-bit desktop and mobile processors based on the 65 nm and 45 nm Core microarchitectures.

• Core 2 Solo: Ultra-low-voltage single-core processors for laptops.
• Core 2 Duo: Dual-core mainstream desktop and mobile processors.
• Core 2 Quad: Multi-chip modules containing two dual-core dies on a single package.
• Core 2 Extreme: Unlocked enthusiast models with higher clock frequencies and power budgets.

Clean Markdown Version (for standard documents or notes)

Core 2

Main articles: Intel Core 2 and Intel Core (microarchitecture)

Released in July 2006, the Core 2 brand expanded the Core family to 64-bit desktop and mobile processors based on the 65 nm and 45 nm Core microarchitectures.

 - Core 2 Solo: Ultra-low-voltage single-core processors for laptops.
 - Core 2 Duo: Dual-core mainstream desktop and mobile processors.
 - Core 2 Quad: Multi-chip modules containing two dual-core dies on a single
   package.
 - Core 2 Extreme: Unlocked enthusiast models with higher clock frequencies and
   power budgets.

Core i3/i5/i7/i9 series

Main article: List of Intel Core processors

In November 2008, Intel introduced a tier-based naming scheme (Core i3, i5, i7, and later i9) to indicate relative performance levels rather than strictly core counts.

Overview of Generations (1st–14th Gen)

The table below summarizes the key architectural shifts and features across each generation of the Core i3/i5/i7/i9 series. For complete lists of individual processor models, see List of Intel Core processors.

Summary of Intel Core Generations (1st to 14th Generation)

Gen	Codename(s)	Microarchitecture	Process Node	Max Cores / Threads	Desktop Sockets	Key Introduced Features
1st	Bloomfield, Lynnfield, Clarkdale, Arrandale, Gulftown	Nehalem, Westmere	45 nm, 32 nm	6 / 12	LGA 1366, LGA 1156	Integrated memory controller, QPI/DMI interconnect, Turbo Boost 1.0.
2nd	Sandy Bridge	Sandy Bridge	32 nm	6 / 12	LGA 1155, LGA 2011	Integrated GPU on same die, AVX instruction set.
3rd	Ivy Bridge	Ivy Bridge	22 nm	6 / 12	LGA 1155, LGA 2011	22 nm 3D Tri-Gate transistors, PCIe 3.0 support.
4th	Haswell	Haswell	22 nm	8 / 16	LGA 1150, LGA 2011-3	AVX2, FMA3, fully integrated voltage regulator (FIVR).
5th	Broadwell	Broadwell	14 nm	10 / 20	LGA 1150, LGA 2011-3	First 14 nm process shrink, optional eDRAM L4 cache.
6th	Skylake	Skylake	14 nm	18 / 36	LGA 1151, LGA 2066	DDR4 RAM support, Speed Shift technology.
7th	Kaby Lake	Kaby Lake	14 nm (14nm+)	18 / 36	LGA 1151, LGA 2066	Enhanced 4K VP9/HEVC hardware decoding, Optane memory support.
8th	Coffee Lake, Whiskey Lake, Cannon Lake	Coffee Lake, Cannon Lake	14 nm (14nm++), 10 nm	6 / 12	LGA 1151 (300 series)	Desktop core count increase (6-core i7/i5), AVX-512 on Cannon Lake.
9th	Coffee Lake Refresh	Coffee Lake Refresh	14 nm (14nm++)	8 / 16	LGA 1151 (300 series)	First mainstream 8-core Core i9 (9900K), in-silicon Meltdown/Spectre fixes.
10th	Comet Lake, Ice Lake, Cascade Lake-X	Comet Lake, Sunny Cove	14 nm, 10 nm+	10 / 20	LGA 1200, LGA 2066	Hyper-Threading enabled across all tiers, Sunny Cove 10nm IPC uplift.
11th	Rocket Lake, Tiger Lake	Cypress Cove, Willow Cove	14 nm, 10 nm SuperFin	8 / 16	LGA 1200	PCIe 4.0 desktop support, Iris Xe integrated graphics.
12th	Alder Lake	Golden Cove, Gracemont	Intel 7 (10 nm)	16 (8P+8E) / 24	LGA 1700	x86 Hybrid Architecture (P-cores & E-cores), DDR5 & PCIe 5.0.
13th	Raptor Lake	Raptor Cove, Gracemont	Intel 7	24 (8P+16E) / 32	LGA 1700	Increased E-core counts, larger L2/L3 caches, higher boost clocks.
14th	Raptor Lake Refresh	Raptor Cove, Gracemont	Intel 7	24 (8P+16E) / 32	LGA 1700	Clock frequency refresh (up to 6.2 GHz on 14900KS), APO gaming optimization.

Core and Core Ultra 3/5/7/9 series

Starting in late 2023, Intel introduced the **Core Ultra** sub-brand for premium architectures featuring integrated NPUs alongside a revamped **Core** naming scheme for mainstream processor refreshes.

Summary of Intel Core / Core Ultra Series

Series	Sub-Brand	Codename(s)	Microarchitecture	Fabrication Node	Target Market	Key Features
**Series 1**	Core Ultra	Meteor Lake	Redwood Cove (P) / Crestmont (E)	Intel 4 / TSMC N5/N6	Mobile	Disaggregated chiplet design (Foveros 3D packaging), integrated Arc Xe-LPG graphics, dedicated AI NPU.
	Core	Raptor Lake-U Refresh	Raptor Cove (P) / Gracemont (E)	Intel 7	Mainstream Mobile	Refreshed thin-and-light mobile processors using 13th/14th Gen architecture.
**Series 2**	Core Ultra	Lunar Lake	Lion Cove (P) / Skymont (E)	TSMC N3B / N6	Premium Mobile	On-package LPDDR5X memory, Xe2 Arc Graphics, up to 48 TOPS NPU 4 for Copilot+ PC compliance.
	Core Ultra	Arrow Lake	Lion Cove (P) / Skymont (E)	TSMC N3B / N6 / N5	Desktop & High-Performance Mobile	First chiplet-based desktop socketed platform (LGA 1851), removal of Hyper-Threading, integrated NPU.

Series 3 & 4 (Upcoming)

• **Panther Lake (Series 3)**: Planned successor based on the Intel 18A process node featuring Cougar Cove P-cores and Darkmont E-cores.
• **Nova Lake (Series 4)**: Future desktop and mobile microarchitecture in development.

Reception

Speculative execution CPU vulnerabilities

This section is an excerpt from Transient execution CPU vulnerability.[edit]

Transient execution CPU vulnerabilities are vulnerabilities in which instructions, most often optimized using speculative execution, are executed temporarily by a microprocessor, without committing their results due to a misprediction or error, resulting in leaking secret data to an unauthorized party. The archetype is Spectre, and transient execution attacks like Spectre belong to the cache-attack category, one of several categories of side-channel attacks. Since January 2018 many different cache-attack vulnerabilities have been identified.

See also

• Intel Core (microarchitecture)
• List of Intel graphics processing units
• List of Intel processors
• List of Intel Core desktop processors
• List of Intel chipsets
• Ryzen

External links

• Intel Product Specifications Database