Intel's next-generation Nova Lake-S desktop processors are moving from design to physical validation, which means buyers can expect a new architecture to hit the market sooner than anticipated. Leaked kernel logs from Intel's internal Graphics CI pipeline have surfaced, confirming that silicon is already booting Linux on development boards. This is the first concrete evidence that the platform is past the drawing board and ready for early-stage software testing.
Leaked kernel logs confirm two test boards with 24 and 28 cores are already booting Linux
The logs identify two distinct test boards, labeled bat-nvls-1 and bat-nvls-2, both reporting a DMI string of "Intel Corporation Nova Lake Client Platform / NVL-S". These samples share a common CPUID of 300F15 and a BIOS build date of July 16, 2026. The presence of these identifiers confirms that Intel is actively validating the client-side variant of the Nova Lake architecture.
Specifications
- CPUID: 300F15 (family 0x12, model 0x1, stepping 0x5)
- BIOS Build Date: July 16, 2026
- Features: AVX-512, APX register save states
- Board 1 Cores/Threads: 24 cores, 24 threads
- Board 1 Base Clock: 3,400 MHz
Board 1 features 24 cores and 24 threads running at a 3,400 MHz base clock. Board 2 scales up to 28 cores and 28 threads with a slightly lower 3,200 MHz base clock. Both samples expose AVX-512 instruction sets and APX register save states in their XSAVE feature lists. These technical details suggest a focus on high-throughput computing and advanced register management for the upcoming generation.
These figures represent engineering samples, so final retail core counts and clock speeds may differ once production chips are finalized. Engineering silicon often runs below production clocks and may have cores disabled for validation purposes. We have been tracking Nova Lake-S closely and previously covered how Intel shifts Nova Lake-S production to 18A as yields hit 85%.
The emergence of these logs indicates a notable step forward in the development of the Nova Lake-S platform. It confirms that Intel is preparing the necessary software infrastructure for a new desktop processor family. Further details regarding pricing and availability will be tracked as the product approaches its release.
Source: NotebookCheck
