A flagship model, the Intel Core i9-14900K

Intel Core is a line of multi-core (with the exception of Core Solo and Core 2 Solo) central processing units (CPUs) for midrange, embedded, workstation, high-end, enthusiast and gaming computer markets marketed by Intel Corporation. These processors displaced the existing mid- to high-end Pentium processors at the time of their introduction, moving the Pentium brand to the budget market. Identical or more capable versions of Core processors are also sold as Xeon processors for the server and workstation markets.

Core was launched in January 2006 as a mobile-only series, consisting of single-core and dual-core models. It was succeeded in July 2006 by the Core 2 series, which included desktop and mobile processors with up to four cores and introduced 64-bit support.

In 2008, Intel introduced the Core i3, Core i5, Core i7, and later Core i9 processor tiers to succeed Core 2.

A updated naming scheme was introduced in 2023, dropping the "i" prefix to consist of Core 3, Core 5, and Core 7 for mainstream processors, alongside "Core Ultra" (Core Ultra 5, Core Ultra 7, Core Ultra 9) for higher-end and AI-focused processors.

Overview

Although Intel Core is a brand that spans multiple generations and microarchitectures, the processors within this family share key design philosophies focusing on high performance-per-watt efficiency and deep instruction pipelining.

The first products under this designation were the Core Solo and Core Duo Yonah processors for laptops, derived from the Pentium M lineage and fabricated at 65 nm in January 2006.

The desktop lineup launched in July 2006 with the Core microarchitecture (Conroe), outperforming Pentium 4 processors across the board while operating at drastically lower clock rates and thermal output.

In November 2008, the Nehalem architecture introduced integrated memory controllers and the QuickPath Interconnect (QPI), replacing the traditional front-side bus. Subsequent microarchitectures brought instruction set extensions like Advanced Vector Extensions (AVX/AVX2/AVX-512), integrated graphics, heterogeneous hybrid core topologies (P-cores and E-cores in Alder Lake and Raptor Lake), and integrated NPUs for AI workloads (Core Ultra).

In June 2023, Intel announced that the processor branding "Core" with the letter "i" would be phased out in favor of "Core 3/5/7" and "Core Ultra 5/7/9".[1]

Overview of Intel Core microarchitectures
Brand Desktop Mobile
Codename Cores Process Date released Codename Cores Process Date released
Core Solo / Duo N/A Yonah 1–2 65 nm January 2006
Core 2 Solo / Duo / Quad Conroe / Kentsfield / Yorkfield 2–4 65–45 nm July 2006 Merom / Penryn 1–4 65–45 nm July 2006
Core i3 / i5 / i7 (1st Gen) Lynnfield / Bloomfield / Clarkdale 2–6 45–32 nm November 2008 Clarksfield / Arrandale 2–4 45–32 nm September 2009
2nd & 3rd Gen Core Sandy Bridge / Ivy Bridge 2–6 32–22 nm January 2011 Sandy Bridge / Ivy Bridge 2–4 32–22 nm January 2011
4th & 5th Gen Core Haswell / Broadwell 2–8 22–14 nm June 2013 Haswell / Broadwell 2–4 22–14 nm June 2013
6th to 10th Gen Core Skylake to Comet Lake 2–10 14–10 nm August 2015 Skylake to Ice Lake / Comet Lake 2–8 14–10 nm September 2015
11th to 14th Gen Core Rocket Lake to Raptor Lake Refresh 4–24 14 nm – Intel 7 March 2021 Tiger Lake to Raptor Lake Refresh 4–24 10 nm – Intel 7 September 2020
Core Ultra (Series 1 & 2) Arrow Lake Up to 24 TSMC N3B October 2024 Meteor Lake / Lunar Lake / Arrow Lake Up to 16 Intel 4 / TSMC N3B December 2023

Core series

Core Solo and Core Duo

The original Core brand referred to Intel's 32-bit mobile CPUs released in January 2006 based on the Yonah core. Core Solo featured a single active core, while Core Duo contained two cores integrated on a single die sharing an L2 cache. These were the first Intel processors used across Apple's Macintosh computer lineup during the Mac transition to Intel processors.

Here is the section cleanly formatted in standard Wikipedia wikitext syntax:

Core 2

Released in July 2006, the Core 2 brand expanded the Core family to 64-bit desktop and mobile processors based on the 65 nm and 45 nm Core microarchitectures.

  • Core 2 Solo: Ultra-low-voltage single-core processors for laptops.
  • Core 2 Duo: Dual-core mainstream desktop and mobile processors.
  • Core 2 Quad: Multi-chip modules containing two dual-core dies on a single package.
  • Core 2 Extreme: Unlocked enthusiast models with higher clock frequencies and power budgets.

Clean Markdown Version (for standard documents or notes)

Core 2

Main articles: Intel Core 2 and Intel Core (microarchitecture)

Released in July 2006, the Core 2 brand expanded the Core family to 64-bit desktop and mobile processors based on the 65 nm and 45 nm Core microarchitectures.

 - Core 2 Solo: Ultra-low-voltage single-core processors for laptops.
 - Core 2 Duo: Dual-core mainstream desktop and mobile processors.
 - Core 2 Quad: Multi-chip modules containing two dual-core dies on a single
   package.
 - Core 2 Extreme: Unlocked enthusiast models with higher clock frequencies and
   power budgets.


Core i3/i5/i7/i9 series

In November 2008, Intel introduced a tier-based naming scheme (Core i3, i5, i7, and later i9) to indicate relative performance levels rather than strictly core counts.

Overview of Generations (1st–14th Gen)

The table below summarizes the key architectural shifts and features across each generation of the Core i3/i5/i7/i9 series. For complete lists of individual processor models, see List of Intel Core processors.

Summary of Intel Core Generations (1st to 14th Generation)
Gen Codename(s) Microarchitecture Process Node Max Cores / Threads Desktop Sockets Key Introduced Features
1st Bloomfield, Lynnfield, Clarkdale, Arrandale, Gulftown Nehalem, Westmere 45 nm, 32 nm 6 / 12 LGA 1366, LGA 1156 Integrated memory controller, QPI/DMI interconnect, Turbo Boost 1.0.
2nd Sandy Bridge Sandy Bridge 32 nm 6 / 12 LGA 1155, LGA 2011 Integrated GPU on same die, AVX instruction set.
3rd Ivy Bridge Ivy Bridge 22 nm 6 / 12 LGA 1155, LGA 2011 22 nm 3D Tri-Gate transistors, PCIe 3.0 support.
4th Haswell Haswell 22 nm 8 / 16 LGA 1150, LGA 2011-3 AVX2, FMA3, fully integrated voltage regulator (FIVR).
5th Broadwell Broadwell 14 nm 10 / 20 LGA 1150, LGA 2011-3 First 14 nm process shrink, optional eDRAM L4 cache.
6th Skylake Skylake 14 nm 18 / 36 LGA 1151, LGA 2066 DDR4 RAM support, Speed Shift technology.
7th Kaby Lake Kaby Lake 14 nm (14nm+) 18 / 36 LGA 1151, LGA 2066 Enhanced 4K VP9/HEVC hardware decoding, Optane memory support.
8th Coffee Lake, Whiskey Lake, Cannon Lake Coffee Lake, Cannon Lake 14 nm (14nm++), 10 nm 6 / 12 LGA 1151 (300 series) Desktop core count increase (6-core i7/i5), AVX-512 on Cannon Lake.
9th Coffee Lake Refresh Coffee Lake Refresh 14 nm (14nm++) 8 / 16 LGA 1151 (300 series) First mainstream 8-core Core i9 (9900K), in-silicon Meltdown/Spectre fixes.
10th Comet Lake, Ice Lake, Cascade Lake-X Comet Lake, Sunny Cove 14 nm, 10 nm+ 10 / 20 LGA 1200, LGA 2066 Hyper-Threading enabled across all tiers, Sunny Cove 10nm IPC uplift.
11th Rocket Lake, Tiger Lake Cypress Cove, Willow Cove 14 nm, 10 nm SuperFin 8 / 16 LGA 1200 PCIe 4.0 desktop support, Iris Xe integrated graphics.
12th Alder Lake Golden Cove, Gracemont Intel 7 (10 nm) 16 (8P+8E) / 24 LGA 1700 x86 Hybrid Architecture (P-cores & E-cores), DDR5 & PCIe 5.0.
13th Raptor Lake Raptor Cove, Gracemont Intel 7 24 (8P+16E) / 32 LGA 1700 Increased E-core counts, larger L2/L3 caches, higher boost clocks.
14th Raptor Lake Refresh Raptor Cove, Gracemont Intel 7 24 (8P+16E) / 32 LGA 1700 Clock frequency refresh (up to 6.2 GHz on 14900KS), APO gaming optimization.

Core and Core Ultra 3/5/7/9 series

Starting in late 2023, Intel introduced the **Core Ultra** sub-brand for premium architectures featuring integrated NPUs alongside a revamped **Core** naming scheme for mainstream processor refreshes.

Summary of Intel Core / Core Ultra Series
Series Sub-Brand Codename(s) Microarchitecture Fabrication Node Target Market Key Features
**Series 1** Core Ultra Meteor Lake Redwood Cove (P) / Crestmont (E) Intel 4 / TSMC N5/N6 Mobile Disaggregated chiplet design (Foveros 3D packaging), integrated Arc Xe-LPG graphics, dedicated AI NPU.
Core Raptor Lake-U Refresh Raptor Cove (P) / Gracemont (E) Intel 7 Mainstream Mobile Refreshed thin-and-light mobile processors using 13th/14th Gen architecture.
**Series 2** Core Ultra Lunar Lake Lion Cove (P) / Skymont (E) TSMC N3B / N6 Premium Mobile On-package LPDDR5X memory, Xe2 Arc Graphics, up to 48 TOPS NPU 4 for Copilot+ PC compliance.
Core Ultra Arrow Lake Lion Cove (P) / Skymont (E) TSMC N3B / N6 / N5 Desktop & High-Performance Mobile First chiplet-based desktop socketed platform (LGA 1851), removal of Hyper-Threading, integrated NPU.

Series 3 & 4 (Upcoming)

  • **Panther Lake (Series 3)**: Planned successor based on the Intel 18A process node featuring Cougar Cove P-cores and Darkmont E-cores.
  • **Nova Lake (Series 4)**: Future desktop and mobile microarchitecture in development.

Reception

Speculative execution CPU vulnerabilities

This section is an excerpt from Transient execution CPU vulnerability.[]

Transient execution CPU vulnerabilities are vulnerabilities in which instructions, most often optimized using speculative execution, are executed temporarily by a microprocessor, without committing their results due to a misprediction or error, resulting in leaking secret data to an unauthorized party. The archetype is Spectre, and transient execution attacks like Spectre belong to the cache-attack category, one of several categories of side-channel attacks. Since January 2018 many different cache-attack vulnerabilities have been identified.

See also

References

allikas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intel_Core_i7