Intel Lunar Lake MX leak points to 8 CPU cores and a “Battlemage” iGPU

We're still some ways off from Intel launching its Lunar Lake chips but recent leaks give us an early idea of specifications and other upgrades. In leaked slides, it is claimed that Lunar Lake MX processors will feature TDPs ranging from 8W at the low end to 30W at most. These CPUs may also pack Intel's 2nd generation Xe GPU architecture, known as Battlemage. 

The slides were swiftly taken down from Twitter after @yuuki_ans published them. However, an Anandtech forum user was fast enough to copy them all before they were removed. The new CPU series, with a TDP ranging between 8W and 30W, is intended for low-power devices and should replace Meteor Lake-U, which has not formally launched yet.

According to Intel, Lunar Lake was co-developed with Microsoft to create a more power-efficient software/hardware integration. The new architecture supports dual-channel LPDDR5X-8533 memory and an on-package memory (MoP). Intel has integrated the memory, reducing the size (about 100–250 mm2) and power consumption (reduced routing, integrated memory subsystem). The package will include two tiles: one for the CPU and GPU and another for the SoC. Its dimensions are 27.5mm by 27mm.

Based on the slides, Lunar Lake's integrated memory will vary between 16GB and 32GB. The CPU architecture will combine Skymont and Lion Cove cores and could be based on TSMC N3B process technology. Intel intends to release at least four Lunar Lake SKUs:

Series	Core Configuration	Memory	GPU configuration	Cache	NPU configuration
Core 5	4P + 4E	16 GB	7 Xe LPG Cores	8 MB	5-tile NPU
Core 5	4P + 4E	32 GB	7 Xe LPG Cores	8 MB	5-tile NPU
Core 7	4P + 4E	16 GB	8 Xe LPG Cores	8 MB	6-tile NPU
Core 7	4P + 4E	32 GB	8 Xe LPG Cores	8 MB	6-tile NPU

The new CPUs will feature an advanced built-in NPU 4.0 with Xe2-LPG (Battlemage) integrated graphics. As such, the Lunar Lake MX series should be the first to launch a power-efficient version of the “Battlemage” GPU, with up to 8 Xe-Cores included in the Core 7 series. This GPU architecture will support real-time ray tracing, Systolic AI/Super Scaling technologies, and VVC/H.266 video decoding. Moreover, it will have 4x PCIe 5.0 lanes and 4x PCIe 4.0 lanes. The Lunar Lake MX series will also support DisplayPort 1.4, HDMI 2.1, eDP1.4 and 1.5, Thunderbolt 4, and up to three USB4 ports. A BE201 network card with a CNVio3 interface supports Bluetooth 5.4 and WiFi-7.

Interestingly, the Lunar Lake 8W SKUs can run without a fan, while the fanned versions will run with a TDP between 17 and 30W. Moreover, the 12W version of the Arc Xe2-LPG GPU is capable of 2.5 TFLOPS of single-precision computation, about the same as an Apple M1. However, this chip's maximum Arc performance may reach 3.8 TFLOPS, enough to outperform the Apple M2. The Lunar Lake MX series is expected to be integrated into next-generation portable devices in 2024 or 2025.

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KitGuru says: Lunar Lake is shaping up to be a decent alternative to some Apple M devices. However, it seems it won't be enough to perform at the same level as the M3. That shouldn't be an issue if manufacturers don't try to sell their devices at the same price as an M3-powered MacBook.

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