Intel might finally steal this feature from AMD chips
Summary
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Intel develops bLLC: 144 MB of L3 cache in Compute Tile to compete with AMD’s 3D V-Cache.
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bLLC is likely limited to unlocked SKUs (Core Ultra 400K), targeting gamers and overclockers.
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Plus L3 allows the processor to access game data faster; Also expect a more powerful NPU on the Nova Lake-S chips.
Intel has so far chosen to avoid adding a key feature that AMD has used for years to increase the performance of its chips: a larger L3 cache, which actually results in a tangible increase in performance in games. This could finally change soon.
According to new reports regarding Intel’s 2026 hardware lineup, the silicon giant is developing a proprietary technology called “bLLC” (big Last Level Cache) designed to directly counter AMD’s stronghold in the high-performance gaming market. Intel would integrate a massive 144MB last-level cache directly into the compute tile of its upcoming processors. The large cache pools have provided rival AMD with incredible performance gains thanks to its 3D V-Cache technology, and this would clearly be an attempt by Intel to match and beat that.
As a reminder of why this works, in modern computing workloads, especially gaming, the speed at which a processor can access instructions and resources is often more critical than raw clock speed. By significantly expanding the L3 cache up to (in this case) 144MB, the Nova Lake-S architecture allows the processor to store a large amount of critical data on-chip. When data is stored in cache, the processor can access it almost instantly. Conversely, if the data is too large for the cache, the processor must retrieve it from system memory (DRAM). More cache, more information that the CPU can access quickly. It’s simple, mathematical.
The report states that this new caching technology will not be available across the entire Nova Lake lineup. Instead, Intel plans to make bLLC exclusive to its “unlocked SKUs.” This refers specifically to the Core Ultra 400K series, the flagship chips traditionally favored by overclockers and hardcore gamers. This would in some ways mimic AMD’s current strategy with its X3D chips, where it will release a non-X3D variant of a new chip with a new architecture and add a 3D V-Cache after the fact with X3D variants. 3D V-Cache is not available on all chips, and neither is bLLC cache.
The new processors are also expected to feature a significant Neural Processing Unit (NPU) upgrade over the current generation Arrow Lake. We’ll see these chips in the next few years and hopefully these rumors will carry some weight.
Source: Overclock3D
