Intel's 40-core Arrow Lake CPU rumored to be on shaky ground - and may not turn up until 2025

Further doubt has been cast over whether Intel will manage to head up its future Arrow Lake CPUs with a 40-core flagship.

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You may recall that the 40-core chip - theoretically combining 8 performance cores with 32 efficiency cores - was previously rumored, then thought to be canceled, and then the grapevine indicated it might be back in the cards.

However, the latest from a regular hardware leaker on Twitter, Raichu, acknowledges that Intel does indeed have plans for this 40-core beast of a 15th-gen processor, but that it's struggling with realizing them.

Raichu then expresses doubt on whether Intel can manage to produce such a chip, and that if Team Blue does manage this feat, it's likely that Intel will launch the 40-core CPU the following year after Arrow Lake debuts.

Remember, Arrow Lake is set to pitch up later in 2024, so that'd mean the 40-core processor won't be around until some point in 2025 - which would be quite a wait. If, and it sounds like a sizeable if, Intel can manage to nail the implementation of this 40-core project that's still a work in progress.

The last we heard about the 40-core chip was from YouTuber Moore's Law is Dead, who floated the idea of it being back on the table for Intel - but at the same time, cautioned that it might still get the chop. Between that and Raichu's murmurings, we really aren't sure if we'll see this product at all, and the flagship could still end up an 8+16 (performance/efficiency cores) processor.

Of course, if the rumored 40-core effort does turn up in 2025, it could be followed by Beast Lake in 2026, which might finally put 10 performance cores in a desktop processor with hybrid tech, or so rumor has it. Take all this with a whole lot of seasoning, naturally, as with anything that comes from the rumor mill.