(Updated) 6-Core Intel processors going mainstream in 2018 with Coffee Lake

As AMDs processors close in with some Zen slowly yet steadily we see some movement at Intel as well. For ages now 4-core processors have been the norm in the mainstream desktop segment, it seems that 6-core Intel processors are finally becoming mainstream in 2018.

This news-item (from July 2016) has been updated with new screenshots.

In it's yearly Form 10-K document about Intel's financials the company now really makes note of a three-step cycle. So after a new procedure (die shrink), there will be a new architecture followed by an upgrade of that architecture. This way Intel can release a new processor each year. However it now seems there will even be a 4th step.

Basically following Kaby Lake to release there will be a fourth generation processor series fabbed on the 14nm production process called Coffee Lake. It is interesting as at that same time the mobile/laptop Cannon Lake processors have already moved to 10 nm. It does make sense as Intel over a year ago announced to abandon its tick-tock model, which alternately introduced a new architecture and a new production process. Basically Intel will use whatever fab process works out the best for them practially and economically aimed at a certain target area.

Coffee Lake CPUs will get two, four or six cores and will get a GT3e, an on-board GPU with dedicated video memory. The processors are rated at a 35 Watt to 45 Watt TDP range.

Microarchitecture	CPU series	Tick or Tock	Cycle	Fab node	Year Released
Presler/Cedar Mill	Pentium 4 / D	Tick		65 nm	2006
Conroe/Merom	Core 2 Duo/Quad	Tock		65 nm	2006
Penryn	Core 2 Duo/Quad	Tick		45 nm	2007
Nehalem	Core i	Tock		45 nm	2008
Westmere	Core i	Tick		32 nm	2010
Sandy Bridge	Core i 2xxx	Tock		32 nm	2011
Ivy Bridge	Core i 3xxx	Tick		22 nm	2012
Haswell	Core i 4xxx	Tock		22 nm	2013
Broadwell	Core i 5xxx	Tick	Process	14 nm	2014 & 2015 for desktops
Skylake	Core i 6xxx	Tock	Architecture	14 nm	2016
Kaby lake	Core i 7xxx	Tock	Optimization	14 nm	2017
Coffee Lake	Core i 7xxx	Tock	Optimization	10 nm	2018
Cannonlake	Core i 8xxx?	Tick	Process	10 nm	2018
Icelake	Core i 8xxx?	Tock	Architecture	10 nm	2019
Tiger Lake	Core i 9xxx?	Tock	Optimization	10 nm	2020
tba	tba	Tick	Process	7 nm	2020

 
The new road-map that was spotted at PC Watch also shows the first Cannon Lake processors scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2017. This involves the U and Y models, for laptops and 2-in-1's.