Intel’s Nova Lake CPUs are HUGE, leak reveals – Especially if you include bLLC
Intel Core Ultra 400 “Nova Lake” die sizes leak – bLLC is HUGE!
Thanks to HXL, new details have leaked for Intel’s upcoming Core Ultra 400 series “Nova Lake” CPUs, and to put it simply, these processors are HUGE! Compared with AMD’s leaked Zen 6 CPU die sizes, Intel’s CPU dies are much larger. Both CPUs reportedly use TSMC’s 2nm lithography node, making the next generation of CPUs an unprecedented grudge match in which AMD and Intel use the same TSMC transistors.
With a standard 8 P-Core + 16 E-Core die size of around 110 mm², Intel’s Nova Lake CPU die is about 45% larger than AMD’s 76 mm² 12-core (all P-core) Zen 6 CPU die. While Intel’s die features more CPU cores, it is unknown how large AMD/Intel CPU cores are. Will Intel’s new P-cores be larger than AMD’s Zen 6 cores? Have Intel’s E-cores gotten larger this generation? Either way, with a near 45% increase in die size, Intel’s new CPUs should deliver more raw performance per chip. If not, Intel has a major issue with its silicon/performance density.
With bLLC, big gets bigger!
Intel’s 8 P-core + 16 E-core CPU die with “bLLC” reportedly measures around 150 mm². That is around 36% larger than Intel’s standard Nova Lake CPU die. bLLC is an enlarged last-level cache (big Last Level Cache) that should provide Intel with benefits similar to AMD’s gaming-oriented X3D processors. Unlike AMD, which stacks L3 cache chips onto its processors (or under the die in the case of Zen 5), Intel is creating larger CPU dies. Large CPU dies are more expensive to produce. That said, AMD needs to create separate cache chiplets and stack them onto their CPU dies, which is also expensive.
NVL 8+16 Die TSMC N2 ~110+mm2
NVL 8+16 bLLC Die TSMC N2 ~150+mm2 https://t.co/beHNikpl1O
— HXL (@9550pro) February 11, 2026
(Tweet from HXL)
Lots of unknowns remain
There are many unknowns that make simple die size comparisons between AMD and Intel problematic. While leaks suggest that Intel has much larger chiplets, it is widely believed that AMD’s chiplets contain only CPU cores (and their associated caches etc). Intel’s chiplets could include its next-generation NPU, which would significantly increase their die size. Even if both use TSMC’s 2nm node, direct comparisons may not be that useful.
AMD and Intel are reportedly developing CPUs with dual-chiplet architectures. This would allow AMD’s Zen 6 CPUs to have a maximum of 24 cores (assuming no cores are on the IO die). For Intel, reports indicate it will offer models with up to 52 cores, comprising two 8 P-Core + 16 E-core chiplets and an IO die with four LP-E-Cores. With 52 total cores, Intel’s Nova Lake flagship is expected to outperform AMD’s Zen 6 flagship in multi-threaded performance. That said, it remains to be seen who will deliver the best single-threaded performance and gaming performance.
You can join the discussion on Intel’s Nova Lake CPU die sizes on the OC3D Forums.
