Intel’s Monster 12-Core iGPU Is Still Coming

Intel is reportedly preparing one of the most powerful integrated graphics configurations it has ever designed for a desktop processor. Earlier leaks suggested that a special Nova Lake-S desktop chip would combine 12 Xe3P graphics cores with a 16-core CPU configuration made up of four P-cores, eight E-cores and four low-power E-cores. The integrated GPU alone was reportedly designed for a maximum PL2 power limit of around 40 watts, while the complete processor could reach approximately 154 watts. That is unusually high for integrated graphics. The leaked design was also said to require two dedicated VCCGT power-delivery phases on the motherboard, suggesting that graphics performance would depend partly on the board’s ability to deliver enough power to the GPU section of the processor. Another major upgrade was cache. The 12-core Xe3P configuration was reportedly designed with 20MB of L2 cache — 25% more than the 16MB used by the full 12-core Xe3 graphics configuration in Panther Lake. Large caches are particularly important for integrated graphics because an iGPU does not have its own dedicated high-bandwidth VRAM. Instead, it shares system memory with the CPU, so additional cache can reduce the amount of data that needs to travel through relatively slower DDR memory. But Intel’s desktop roadmap appears to have changed. In September 2026, leaker Jaykihn reported that the planned 12-core Xe3P desktop configuration had been moved from Nova Lake-S to the later Razor Lake-S generation. According to the updated leak, Nova Lake-S will no longer receive this specific 12-core Xe3P desktop SKU. The large iGPU itself has apparently not disappeared. Instead, it is now expected to arrive with Razor Lake-S, while mobile Nova Lake processors are still expected to use Xe3P graphics in multiple configurations. It is not yet clear whether the Razor Lake-S version will retain the original 40W graphics limit, 20MB L2 cache, 154W processor limit or the same 4P+8E+4LP-E CPU configuration. Intel has not officially confirmed these desktop specifications, so they should still be treated as preliminary. If the design survives largely unchanged, Intel could eventually have a much stronger competitor to AMD’s desktop APUs — especially for compact systems and gaming PCs that do not use a discrete graphics card. The interesting question is no longer whether Intel wants a much more powerful desktop iGPU. It is when that design will finally arrive. Subscribe to Xenon Lab News for more CPU, GPU and semiconductor technology updates. #Intel #Xe3P #RazorLake #NovaLake #IntegratedGraphics #iGPU #IntelArc #AMD #RyzenAPU #GamingPC #CPU #GPU #PCGaming #ComputerHardware #Semiconductors #TechNews #XenonLabNews