How to watch the Intel CES 2026 launch event
We’re just hours away from the start of CES 2026, and with that comes Intel’s launch event. The chip giant is expected to provide more details on its AI PC initiative and the new processors powering it: Core Ultra Series 3 (aka Panther Lake) processors are manufactured using an 18A process, or 18A. angstromsor just under 2nm – and designed for high-end laptops and gaming devices.
For Intel, the stakes at CES are higher than ever. Over the past 12 months, NVIDIA and the U.S. government have acquired stakes in the company, helping to nearly double the stock price by the end of the year. But that figure remains down more than 20% since 2021, as competitors like TSMC, Qualcomm, AMD and NVIDIA have taken leadership in chipmaking and AI hardware.
How to watch Intel’s launch event
Jim Johnson, Senior Vice President of Intel’s Client Computing Group, will kick off the launch event on Monday, January 5 at 6 p.m. ET. A live stream will be available on the Intel Newsroom YouTube channel, which we will post here when it is live.
What to expect from Intel at CES 2026
As we noted above, Intel has publicly confirmed that it will highlight “the next generation of Intel-powered PCs, the cutting-edge solution and AI experiences enabled by the new Intel Core Ultra Series 3 processors.” We’ll be keen to see if the company can address the profitability concerns that have surrounded these next-generation chips since at least last summer, when published reports indicated that efficiencies were still below 50%. (In response, Intel told Engadget that it felt “very good” about its trajectory on Panther Lake, even though it didn’t hit the late 2025 release date that it had envisioned at the time.)
Will we have any updates on this NVIDIA partnership? It’s possible. But don’t expect to hear about Intel possibly making the chips for this new entry-level MacBook Air. If that happens, the announcement will certainly take place at a time and place of Apple’s choosing.
