Intel reportedly ditching performance cores for its next budget laptop chips

Intel is reportedly developing a new family of ultra-low-power processors called Moon Lake for ultra-affordable laptops and other devices where power efficiency is paramount. Unlike most of Intel’s recent mobile processors, the upcoming chips could dispense with performance cores entirely.

According to prolific hardware leaker Jaykihn, Moon Lake will feature up to four Darkmont low-power efficiency (LP-E) cores, with a default power rating of just 6 W.  It is said to retain Intel’s chiplet design. Its four LP-E cores will reside on the compute tile within a dedicated low-power island. The processors will also use the same BGA1516 package as the existing Wildcat Lake lineup.

Intel’s current Wildcat Lake processors feature up to two Cougar Cove performance cores alongside four Darkmont LP-E cores. Models such as the Core 5 320 have a 15 W processor base power, making Moon Lake’s rumoured 6 W configuration remarkably more conservative.

The new architecture could effectively serve as a successor to Intel’s Alder Lake-N and Twin Lake processors, which have found their way into inexpensive laptops and mini PCs. Moon Lake’s lower power requirements could also make it suitable for passively cooled systems.

Intel is also said to be preparing a separate Wildcat Lake Refresh lineup. As previously reported, these processors could double the maximum performance-core count from two to four while retaining four LP-E cores. The latest information also points to a configurable power limit of up to 35 W and support for Intel vPro.

Unlike Wildcat Lake Refresh, which is expected to offer more performance for affordable laptops, Moon Lake appears intended for an even lower-power segment. It could help revitalise the sub-$500 segment, which has been largely abandoned due to skyrocketing component prices.