Intel's next-gen Nova Lake will finally tackle AMD's Ryzen X3D, but only with pricey 'K' models — 144MB Big Last Level Cache response to 3D V-Cache will only come on unlocked desktop parts

Following the Arrow Lake refresh, Intel is set to debut Nova Lake sometime in 2026 as its true next-gen desktop architecture. Nova Lake should bring massive improvements across the board, one of which is the inclusion of bLLC (Big Last Level Cache), serving as Intel's answer to AMD's 3D V-Cache tech. Previously, it was reported that we'll see up to 144 MB of total L3 cache thanks to bLLC on certain Nova Lake chips, and now seasoned leaker Jaykihn is claiming those will be unlocked SKUs.

Nova Lake supposedly tops out at 52 cores, with the flagship SKU carrying 16 P-cores, 32 E-cores, and 4 LP-E cores, split across two 28-core compute tiles. Each tile already has its own integrated L3 cache, with the bLLC taking it even further. The extra L3 cache in AMD's X3D chips sits either above or beneath the CCD, using hybrid bonding. On the other hand, Intel already has bLLC in its Clearwater Forest server chips, but they use 2.5D packaging where the LLC tile sits alongside the compute tiles on an interposer.

Nova Lake will be fabricated on Intel 18A, and it remains to be seen whether Intel will use the same packaging techniques. According to Jaykhin, though, the bLLC is part of the compute tile, but that leads to another interesting detail stemming from the core layout. If the bLLC is on the compute tile and the higher-end SKUs use two of them, it implies that a dual-bLLC solution could exist somewhere down the line with even more L3 cache. For now, bLLC on just one compute tile seems to be speculation.

So far, leaks suggest that only the midrange 8P+16E/12E-core SKUs (Core Ultra 5) will get the bLLC upgrade, since they'll use a single compute tile. These are rumors after all, so there's no confirmation whether higher-end SKUs with more cores will be entirely cut off from featuring bLLC; previously, one leaker mentioned a 180 MB Core Ultra 9 SKU could make it to market.

Keeping the 144 MB number in mind, that would beat even AMD's current-gen flagship Ryzen 9 9950X3D's L3 cache count by 48 MB, since that has 32 MB of L3 cache, boosted to 96 MB total with 64 MB added as 3D V-Cache. Funnily enough, Intel has previously explored using 2.5D/TSV packaging to add extra cache on top of CPU cores all the way back in the Broadwell era, but it never materialized beyond internal testing.

Those Ryzen 9000X3D chips are also unlocked, meaning you can overclock them to your heart's desire. When 3D V-Cache debuted on Ryzen 5000, AMD locked the CPUs, saying that the voltage regulation required to enable the extra cache was simply too precise to allow user tweaking. So, if this Nova Lake rumor is to be believed, at least Intel will start off on the right foot, achieving parity right away with AMD's X3D by having it on unlocked SKUs first.

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