Intel's Core i9-12900KS and Other Processors Discontinuation and Updates

TapTechNews July 4th news, the Core i9-12900KS, which was once the flagship of AlderLake desktop processors and had 16 cores and a maximum frequency of 5.5 GHz, had its moment. However, with the release of RaptorLake processors, the limelight of the i9-12900KS gradually faded. Firstly, the appearance of the Core i7-13700K, whose specifications were almost comparable to that of the i9-12900KS (5.4 GHz frequency). Then the Core i9-13900K, with 24 cores (double the number of E-cores) and a maximum frequency of 5.8 GHz, comprehensively surpassed the i9-12900KS.

Shortly after, Intel launched a Core i9 series KS special edition processor with 24 cores and a frequency as high as 6.0 GHz, announcing that the i9-12900KS was officially outdated in the current product line. According to ZDNET reports, two years and three months after its official release, Intel also initiated the discontinuation process of this processor. Although there is still inventory of the i9-12900KS available for sale and channel distributors may continue to accept orders, but Intel expects to stop supplying it around January 2025 and officially discontinue this processor in July 2025.

TapTechNews noted that in addition to the i9-12900KS, Intel will also discontinue the 10th-generation Core series processors (code-named CometLake) that were released in the second half of 2020, including the non-K series entry-level models that were launched after the 10th-generation Core K series that had already been discontinued at the end of 2023.

There are as many as 30 SKU models to be discontinued, covering from entry-level Pentium Gold and Celeron processors to Core i3-10100F/10105/10300/10305, Core i5-10400F/10500/10600, and entry-level workstation processor Xeon W-1250, etc. See the complete list in the following figure:

The discontinued SKU models include both boxed versions and bulk versions. It is expected that this move will have little impact on sales, as the current mainstream shipments are concentrated on the 12th-generation Core AlderLake and AMD Ryzen series. It is reported that in the South Korean market, the sales of the 10th-generation Core series processors only account for 1%.

As Intel discontinues the remaining 10th-generation Core series processors and has already discontinued the 11th-generation Core series processors (RocketLake) before, this indicates the end of Intel's 14nm process desktop processor era.