There are currently no direct competitors to AMD’s Ryzen X3D processors in Intel’s lineup — but according to rumors, that may soon change in favor of the “blue team.” An insider report has surfaced online, detailing a yet-to-be-announced series of desktop chips from the Nova Lake family, which are said to feature a similar architecture.
According to an insider known as Haze, the company is preparing to release two new models with support for bLLC (big Last Line Cache) technology. This, according to the source, is Intel’s equivalent of AMD’s 3D V-Cache. The new Core Ultra 9 is expected to feature 8 performance cores and 16 efficiency cores, while the more affordable Core Ultra 7 will reportedly include 8 and 12 cores of the same types, respectively.
Both models are expected to have a TDP limit of 125W. Unofficial reports suggest that Intel will increase the L3 cache by adding an additional memory die on the chiplet with the cores. According to an earlier statement by Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan, the Nova Lake processor family is expected to debut in 2026.