Intel's Arrow Lake-S rumored for December launch

Just a couple of weeks ago we reported that Intel was on-track to launch its codenamed Lunar Lake-V platform for laptops in September and then start sales of unlocked codenamed Arrow Lake-S processors for desktop computers in October. Today, a new rumor emerged that Intel's Arrow Lake-S will only be available for sale this December, which could mean a delay. As ever with rumors, take the news with a pinch of salt.

Hardware leaker @9550pro did not reveal their source, but indicated that a claim (made by Jaykihn on X, formerly Twitter) saying that Arrow Lake-S is set to reach its QS milestone only on the 40th week of 2024 (late September – early October) corroborates his information as it takes no less than three to four months to get from QS (quality samples) to start of actual product shipments (i.e., desktop PCs in this case).

At this point, we do not know whether if 'Arrow Lake-S' means socketed Arrow Lake-S 125W processors with unlocked multiplier and 8P + 16E cores silicon configuration; socketed Arrow Lake-S in general (both 125W and 65W), which includes both 8P + 16E silicon as well as 6P + 8E silicon configurations; or Arrow Lake-S processors for mainstream desktops with a 8P + 16E or 6P + 8E die and a 65W processor base power.

Typically, Intel releases its unlocked 125W processors for enthusiasts with maximum core count configuration first in October or November, then follows up with mainstream 65W processors in January. Therefore, if 125W unlocked Arrow Lake-S reaches QS milestone only in late September, or early October, then its launch in December can be considered a delay.

Yet, if we are talking about mainstream 65W configurations, reaching QS in late September and shipping in desktops in late December (or rather early January) is a typical Intel roadmap for such CPUs. In fact, if Intel makes mainstream 65W Arrow Lake-S available in actual machines in December, we may even consider this a pull in as normally mainstream processors are launched at CES and miss critical holiday sales season, allowing Intel to sell more expensive 'K' parts in November and December.

Intel of course does not comment on rumors, so for now it is hard to say for sure what we are dealing with, so take the information about Arrow Lake-S with a grain of salt.