Intel has revealed details about its new Panther Lake CPU design. This new chip is an upgrade over earlier versions and uses a new production process called 18A. One important change is that it will not bring back a feature known as Hyper Threading, also called simultaneous multithreading or SMT.
To understand why, it helps to know a bit about how modern Intel CPUs work. For the past several years, Intel has built chips that use both powerful cores called P Cores for demanding tasks and smaller, more efficient E Cores for lighter work. These two types of cores can handle different jobs more efficiently.
At first, Intel allowed some of these cores to use SMT, which lets a core handle two tasks at once. However, the newest chips like Lunar Lake and now Panther Lake do not use SMT. Intel's lead CPU architect Steven Robinson recently explained this decision. He said that when you have hybrid cores, the main job scheduling already happens by choosing whether to use a P Core or an E Core. Once that choice is made, splitting each core into two threads with SMT does not provide as much benefit.
Removing SMT also makes the processor a bit simpler and smaller. This means it can be a little cheaper to make, use less power, and reach higher speeds. By focusing on improving E Cores and the hybrid core design, Intel can deliver fast performance without needing SMT.
Intel says its new E Cores are now so good that they can offer even better results than SMT could in older chips. Panther Lake is shaping up to be an exciting processor, especially for uses like gaming, and will be interesting to watch when it arrives in 2026.
Original article and image: https://www.pcgamer.com/hardware/processors/now-youve-got-something-thats-a-little-bit-easier-and-less-expensive-and-can-go-a-little-bit-faster-intels-lead-x86-cpu-architect-explains-why-its-not-bringing-hyper-threading-back-for-panther-lake/
