Intel Details Next-Gen Automotive SoCs: Frisco Lake and Grizzly Lake to Power Future Software-Defined Vehicles With Panther Lake and Nova Lake IPs
At the Shanghai Auto Show, Intel revealed significant updates to its automotive strategy, unveiling two next-generation SoC platforms: Frisco Lake and Grizzly Lake. These Software-Defined Vehicle (SDV) SoCs are designed to supercharge next-gen electric and autonomous vehicles, leveraging Intel’s latest CPU and GPU architectures—Panther Lake and Nova Lake—as well as advanced AI and multimedia capabilities. The announcement signals Intel’s aggressive commitment to the automotive market, particularly in EV and smart vehicle integration.
Frisco Lake: 2nd Gen SDV Platform With Panther Lake and Xe3 Graphics
The Frisco Lake SoCs represent Intel's second-generation SDV platform and will serve as the cornerstone of its near-term automotive computing roadmap. These chips are built on the Panther Lake CPU architecture, which is scheduled for commercial rollout in 2026, and they deliver significant generational gains compared to the Raptor Lake-based predecessors.
CPU Architecture: Panther Lake
TDP Range: 20W to 65W
AI Performance: Up to 10x improvement
Power Efficiency: 61% more efficient than previous-gen SoCs
Graphics: Integrated 3rd Gen Xe GPU (Celestial) replacing older Battlemage iGPUs
Multimedia: Support for 12 camera channels and 280 audio channels
The addition of the Celestial GPU marks a substantial upgrade in graphics capabilities, as the previous generation relied on 1st Gen Xe-LP GPUs with 96 Execution Units. This improvement, along with AI and compute enhancements, aims to support more advanced autonomous driving workloads and immersive in-car infotainment systems.
Developer confirmation of Panther Lake IP in Frisco Lake was backed by kernel patch documentation, highlighting Intel’s ongoing work on software support for these automotive platforms.
Grizzly Lake: 3rd Gen SDV Platform Built on Nova Lake, Monument Peak SoCs
Looking further ahead, Intel is preparing the Grizzly Lake platform, a 3rd generation SDV SoC line expected to launch around 2027. These SoCs will reportedly be based on the Nova Lake architecture, specifically utilizing the Monument Peak processor variant.
CPU Architecture: Nova Lake
Core Configurations: Up to 32 E-Cores (Efficient Cores); full platform could include P-Cores and LP-Cores, totaling up to 52 cores
GPU: Xe integrated graphics with up to 7 TFLOPs compute
Display Support: Up to 6 display pipes
Camera Support: Up to 12 input channels
Compliance: AEC-Q100 Grade 2, ASIL B safety level
While originally planned for 1H 2027, it’s possible this timeline may shift given Intel’s accelerated development pace to secure design wins in the booming EV market. Sources including 3elife have indicated the roadmap may be flexible to accommodate rapid innovation in automotive applications.
A Clear Shift Toward Automotive Dominance
This push into automotive SoCs follows a broader industry trend as car manufacturers demand higher performance, lower power compute platforms capable of supporting real-time AI inference, sensor fusion, and evolving safety standards. Intel’s use of Panther Lake and Nova Lake architectures underscores the company's intention to treat the automotive sector as a first-class deployment target alongside PCs and data centers.
From enhanced AI performance to automotive-grade GPUs and advanced camera/audio capabilities, Intel is not merely entering the automotive space—it is positioning itself as a leader in software-defined vehicle computing.
What do you think about Intel’s aggressive roadmap in the automotive sector? Could Panther Lake and Nova Lake architectures bring true autonomy closer to reality? Share your thoughts with us below.
