Intel “Arrow Lake Refresh” to deliver higher CPU speeds and a boosted NPU
Higher core clock speeds and a new NPU are expected on Intel’s upcoming “Arrow Lake Refresh” CPUs
According to a report from ZDNet, Intel plans to refresh its Arrow Lake “Core Ultra 200” CPU lineup later this year. These CPUs will reportedly deliver users higher CPU and GPU clock speeds than before, and utilise a newer, more advanced NPU (Neural Processing Unit).
Based on this report, Intel’s refreshed CPU models will not feature more CPU or GPU cores than their existing counterparts. However, they will feature enhanced clock speeds, enabling higher levels of performance. Sadly, Intel’s reportedly only “slightly improving” its CPU clock speeds.
Arrow Lake Refresh, which will be released in the second half of this year, is expected to target AI demand with a slight increase in operating clock and replacement of NPU.
(Intel’s Arrow Lake Refresh CPUs could be Copilot+ ready thanks to their enhanced NPU)
The largest change to Intel’s new “Arrow Lake Refresh CPUs” is the introduction of a new NPU design. Intel is reportedly moving from an “NPU 3” based design to a newer “NPU 4” based design. This will give Arrow Lake the same NPU architecture as Intel’s Lunar Lake CPUs, enabling a large increase in AI performance.
This change could result in Intel’s Arrow Lake Refresh CPUs being “Copilot+” compatible. This is great news for Intel, as it will give the company a new feature to market. That said, it remains to be seen whether this AI feature will have any impact on sales.
The biggest feature is expected to be an improvement in NPU performance. The NPU built into the Core Ultra 200S is the same ‘NPU 3’ built into the Core Ultra Series 1 (Meteor Lake) in 2023.
This is to be replaced with the ‘NPU 4’ included in Core Ultra 200V (Luna Lake).
Intel’s change in NPU design is possible thanks to the tile-based nature of Intel’s new CPU designs. This allows parts of Intel’s new processors to be changed while others remain the same.
You can join the discussion on Intel’s enhanced “Arrow Lake Refresh” CPUs on the OC3D Forums.
