Intel architecture explained

For its 12th-generation CPUs, based on the Alder Lake architecture, Intel has gone back to the drawing board and come up with something very different. Most CPUs in the range now have two types of core: performance (P-cores) and efficiency (E-cores).

The idea behind the design is similar to that of ARM’s Big.Little architecture, which combines low-power cores for smaller background tasks, and large performance cores when power is needed. That’s exactly what we have with Alder Lake, with P-cores taking care of high-end tasks and the E-cores there for efficient background processing.

All cores, both P and E, are built using the Intel 7 process, which was known as the 10nm Enhanced SuperFin. These processors finally see the end of the 14nm process, and we’re now onto the second generation of Intel 10nm fabrication (it’s the first time we’ve seen this on