A couple of Intel roadmap slides have leaked online via German site, Computerbase, giving us some insight into what the chip giant has planned for the next couple of years. Although all of Intel's chip developments are exciting, perhaps the most intriguing on these slides is the news that we can expect six-core CPUs to show up in laptops in the not-so-distant future.
On the mobile slide, the two chips which grabbed our attention were the Core i7-8850H with base/boost clocks of 2.6/4.3GHz, and the Core i5-8400H with base/boost clocks 2.5/4.2GHz (via Hexus). Although the Core i5 will continue to exhibit four cores, the i7 CPU will come with six cores and thanks to hyperthreading will have a full 12 threads to work with.
The Intel Xeon E-2176M with base/boost clock of 2.7/4.4GHz and 6C/12T configuration will provide similar, but higher-powered functionality, for workstations.
The reference slides are accurate as of January 2018, but don't provide us with any release dates or pricing information.
On other slides we can see that there are some desktop Xeons in the work too. Those chips will release throughout the year and into next, with options for entry-level, mid-range and high-end workstations. They will come with six and four cores and often in dual-chip configurations. They're designed to be energy efficient and are based on the 8-series of Intel's Core processors.
