Intel’s next-generation Panther Lake-H CPUs have quietly surfaced inside the industrial world, and the first image of a Mini-ITX motherboard powered by the chip has been spotted. 
The board, announced by DFI, highlights what Intel’s 18A process is set to deliver later this year. While Panther Lake won’t appear in DIY desktops, its presence in compact and industrial systems is shaping up to be significant.
At the heart of this Mini-ITX motherboard sits a Panther Lake-H processor with a 25W TDP, adjustable for industrial needs. The chip integrates Intel’s newest architectures: Cougar Cove P-Cores, Darkmont E-Cores, and an updated Xe3 GPU design with up to 12 cores. Configurations will scale up to 16 cores total, including low-power efficiency cores.
The motherboard supports two DDR5 SO-DIMM slots with up to 128 GB capacity and speeds reaching 7200 MT/s
. Display connectivity is broad, offering Quad Display output via DP2.1, HDMI 2.0, USB-C, and an M2A extension port. Expansion support includes PCIe Gen5 x4, NVMe via M.2, plus dedicated slots for 4G/5G, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth modules.
On the I/O side, users get up to three Intel 2.5GbE LAN ports, multiple COM and USB connections, SATA 3.0, and onboard audio. Enterprise-grade features such as vPro and EXT-OOB management are included, with Intel promising a 10-year lifecycle support until 2036.
DFI has not disclosed the exact SKU or pricing, marking the board as “Preliminary.” However, with Panther Lake expected to ramp in late Q4 2025 or early Q1 2026, this Mini-ITX platform is an early look at where Intel is positioning its upcoming client CPUs. These processors will also find homes in laptops, Mini PCs, and handhelds, while the DIY desktop crowd will have to wait for Nova Lake-S in 2026.
3 comments
darkmont e-cores gonna give amd fanboys some nightmares ngl
meanwhile amd bois crying in their corner 🤣
so basically we wait till titan lake now? bruh