Intel is reportedly preparing a new family of entry-level laptop processors called Moon Lake. According to the leaks, these chips would drop performance cores (P-cores) entirely and include only four low-power LPE cores based on the Darkmont architecture, with a base TDP of 6 watts, configurable up to 15 watts.
A chip aimed at the lowest tier
The specifications were shared by leaker Jaykihn on X and picked up by several outlets. According to these reports, Moon Lake would use the same BGA 1516 package and the 18A process already used for the Panther Lake compute tile. The main difference is the complete absence of P-cores: the chip would rely entirely on the efficient Darkmont cores.
Building on this, TechPowerUp describes Moon Lake as a much smaller design than Wildcat Lake, also aimed at embedded devices such as NAS units. The 6-watt base TDP would be comparable to that of a SoC typically used in smartphones. No details on the integrated graphics are available yet; one or two Xe3 configurations are expected.
Wildcat Lake Refresh and positioning
The same source mentions a second family, Wildcat Lake Refresh, which should offer slightly better configurations than existing Core Series 3 models, with four P-cores and four LPE cores, a TDP between 10 and 35 watts and vPro support. A launch in the first half of 2027 is indicated, without official confirmation. Intel has already launched Wildcat Lake as a cheaper alternative to its premium chips.
According to the same reports, Moon Lake laptops would target prices below $300-400, with 8 to 16 GB of memory. The chip would also continue the disaggregated chiplet approach Intel has followed for several generations.
Image: jprahman.substack.com — https://jprahman.substack.com/p/intel-cpu-die-topology
A segment that weighs on revenue
The entry-level segment accounts for a major share of CPU makers' revenue. The context is difficult, however: memory shortages have weighed on the PC market as a whole, pushing shipments sharply down. With Moon Lake, Intel is diversifying its mobile lineup precisely in this segment.
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