Intel launches the first 11 Ice Lake chips (10th-gen Intel Core Y and U-series processors)

Intel announced that it was shipping the first 10th-gen Intel Core processors based on its 10th-gen “Ice Lake” architecture in May. Now the company says more than 35 laptops and 2-in-1 tablets powered by the chips are on the way, with the first models set to begin shipping soon.

Among other things, Intel says they’ll feature faster integrated graphics, native support for WiFi 6 (802.11ax) and Thunderbolt 3, and support for the chip maker’s new “Deep Learning Boost” technology for faster AI performance.

At launch there will be 11 new Ice Lake chips, ranging from 9-12 watt dual-core Y-series chips aimed at low-power thin-and-light systems to 28 watt quad-core U-series chips capable of hitting higher CPU and GPU speeds.

Intel is also updating its chip naming scheme.

The new processors are based on Intel’s new Sunny Cove CPU architecture and feature Intel Gen11 graphics with up to 64EU (execution units).

While they’re not the first 10nm processors from Intel, they are the first to enter mass production — although Intel is being a little vague about how much the process shrink contributes to any performance boost.

That said, Intel is promising huge gains in graphics performance, with chips sporting Intel Iris Plus graphics offering up to:

• 2X higher frame rates during 1080p gaming performance
• 2X faster HEVC video encoding
• 2.5X faster AI performance

Ice Lake chips also support up to LPDDR4-3733 or DDR-3200 memory and have integrated support for up to four Thunderbolt 3 ports.

Glancing at the run-down of the upcoming hips, I suspect we’ll see the performance gap between Y-series and U-series processor close a little bit now that Intel’s lower-power Y-series chips support up to 4 cores, 8-threads, and have TDP ranges from 9 watts to 12 watts. Some of the higher-end Ice Lake-Y chips also appear to have the same Intel Iris Plus graphics as Intel’s best Ice Lake-U processors.

That said, I suspect we’ll primarily see Ice Lake-Y processors in ultralight, fanless computers (or maybe next-gen mini-laptops with active cooling like those offered by GPD, One Netbook, and Chuwi).

Most laptops will likely feature Ice Lake-U chips with 15 watt TDPs, although Intel notes that these chips can be configured to run at up to 25 watts if system builders want to trade battery life for better performance and if they can accommodate the cooling needs of a 25 watt processor.

While Intel’s Ice Lake lineup are the first processors to bear the “10th-gen” moniker, they probably won’t be the last. Intel is also expected to launch a “Comet Lake-U” line of processors later this year, but those chips will be manufactured using a 14nm processor. It’s unclear how they’ll compare to Ice Lake in terms of price, performance, and efficiency.

If you’re wondering how to make sense of Intel’s new naming convention, here’s a breakdown of what’s new:

• The G + number at the end tells you about graphics. G1 means Intel UHD with 32 EUs. G4 is Iris Plus with 48 EUs. And G7 is Iris Plus with 64 EUs.
• The 4-digit number before the G starts with 10 for 10th-gen, and then includes a SKU number.
• SKUs that end in 0 are Y-series chips, and SKUs that end in 5 or 8 at U-series processors. You won’t see U or Y in the name anymore.

In other words, an Intel Core i7-1060G7 processor is a 9 watt, Y-Series chip with Intel Iris Plus graphics featuring 64 execution units. A Core i5-1035G4, meanwhile, is a 15 watt U-series chip with Iris Plus graphics sporting 48 EUs. Which is faster? I… don’t know. We’ll probably have to wait a little while to find real-world performance tests.