Intel has officially postponed its Innovation event, which should unveil everything you need to know about Arrow Lake CPUs. Despite shifting from its September 24-25 timeslot to next year, Team Blue assures us that new Core Ultra chips will still launch in 2024.
Innovation is CEO Pat Gelsinger’s baby, offering keynotes, panels, hands-on sessions, and demonstrations to partners and developers keen on looking at the next generation up close. So far, there have been three since 2021, each unveiling the next leap in architectural improvements:
- Innovation 2021: 12th Gen Core Desktop – codenamed Alder Lake
- Innovation 2022: 13th Gen Core Desktop – codenamed Raptor Lake
- Innovation 2023: Intel Core Ultra 100 – codenamed Meteor Lake
Pinning up a notice on its website that’s similar to a ‘closed until further notice’ sign, Intel explains, “After careful consideration, we have made the decision to postpone our Intel-hosted event, Intel Innovation, in September until 2025.” Delving a little deeper in a statement to PCMag, a representative essentially gestured to everything that’s happening around the company.
“Given our financial results and outlook for the second half of 2024, which is tougher than previously expected, we are having to make some tough decisions as we continue to align our cost structure and look to assess how we rebuild a sustainable engine of process technology leadership. We express sincere appreciation to our partners, sponsors, exhibitors, developer communities and our larger team who had committed to support and attend the event.”
It’s not the most surprising news. After all, Intel has had a woeful time ever since 13th and 14th Gen CPUs came under fire for instability issues. The company’s poor response has led to finger-pointing at motherboard manufacturers, major losses for clients, and a tarnished image. While it’s turning a corner with microcode fixes and extended warranties, it might be too little, too late. Investors have already fired over a lawsuit following a $32 billion loss, claiming the brand hid the extent of its issues, and law firms are mulling over a class action lawsuit on behalf of affected customers. This isn’t to mention the poor financial slate resulting in 15,000 layoffs.
I commend getting your house in order before moving forward, but it does seem like an odd choice. Innovation was the perfect venue to address recent controversies while promising a better future. Don’t fret about product launches, though. As it stands, Lunar Lake will still debut at IFA 2024, and Intel tells us that everything’s on track for Arrow Lake.
“There are no changes to Intel’s launch plans, timing, or product readiness,” an Intel spokesperson tells Club386. “We are excited about the new product announcements and momentum we have in store, including significant announcements this fall. We’ll share more details on our next-gen desktop processor products, codenamed Arrow Lake, later this year.”
Far less flashy of an entrance, I’m sure, but it’s nice to see we don’t necessarily need an event to launch a product. Not everything needs to be sparkles and show tunes.
