Leaks about Intel's upcoming Nova Lake-S desktop CPU family suggest that one particular APU-style SKU will need a specific 65W power delivery segment dedicated to its integrated graphics in order to reach full performance. The claim originates from leaker Jaykihn on X and has been reported by Wccftech, TechPowerUp, and Tom's Hardware.
According to the reports, this SKU pairs 12 Xe3P graphics cores with a CPU built on Intel's newer architecture. Sources differ slightly on the exact CPU core layout: Wccftech and TechPowerUp describe a 16-core configuration with 4 P-cores, 8 E-cores, and 4 LP-E cores (TechPowerUp lists it as a 4+8+4+12 breakdown including the 12 GPU cores), while Tom's Hardware describes the same 16-core SKU as 8 P-cores, 4 E-cores, and 4 LP-E cores. All three outlets agree the chip is a 16-core part with 12 Xe3P GPU cores.
The key detail across all sources is that this SKU is said to be the only one in the Nova Lake-S lineup requiring two VCCGT power phases for its integrated graphics, whereas other SKUs reportedly use a single VCCGT phase. This would mean motherboard VRMs need to deliver up to 65W specifically to the graphics tile, separate from the power delivered to the CPU cores.
Context from the reports places this within a broader Nova Lake-S lineup that reportedly spans from 6-core to 52-core SKUs, with power tiers including 35W, 65W, 125W, and 175W, and a flagship 52-core part said to reach up to 474W in PL2 mode. Tom's Hardware also reported on a rumored SKU table showing various core counts mapped to TDP tiers, with the 16-core APU sitting at the 65W/35W tier.
Tom's Hardware noted that current top-end Panther Lake mobile chips use a 12-Xe3-core Arc B390 iGPU, and suggested this Nova Lake-S part could outperform it given more available power and thermal headroom, drawing comparisons to AMD's Strix Halo mobile chips, which can use around 70-80W across CPU and GPU combined. Wccftech and Tom's Hardware both note that AMD's current desktop APUs, like the Ryzen 8700G, operate at 65W as a whole-chip TDP rather than as power dedicated solely to graphics.
All three outlets stress that this information is preliminary and based on unconfirmed leaks. Reports differ on timing: TechPowerUp cites plans for single-compute-die SKUs arriving first, with a 28-core Nova Lake-S DS version expected in Q1 2027 and K-series SKUs targeted for an early Q2 launch, while Tom's Hardware notes that current reports point to both Intel and AMD's next-gen releases appearing at CES 2027 rather than later this year.