The lack of Intel Meteor Lake-S data throws the Windows 12 release date speculations into doubt.

While there are still a few more Windows 11 22H2 Moment upgrades to come (Moment 3 and Moment 4), Microsoft is making solid progress toward Windows 12. According to senior executive Panos Panay, the next-generation Windows 11 and Windows 12 will be a combination of cloud-powered and AI-driven experiences, and Microsoft is making some headway toward that goal. In terms of security, the corporation is also removing old components like as MSDT and VBScript, which have previously been attacked.

If you’re wondering when Windows 12 will be released, a new rumor concerning Intel’s 14th Gen Meteor Lake-S desktop CPUs stated that Microsoft’s Windows 12 would be supported by the next-generation Intel CPUs. Whether or if the report is genuine, it was intriguing. Yet, it is possible that it will be the latter, given there appears to be a lack of evidence supporting the existence and arrival of Meteor Lake-S.

Reports from December stated that Meteor Lake-S launch plans had been shelved (via Raichu on Twitter), while a more recent (now-deleted) Benchlife post mirrored similar views. According to the article (via Wccftech), Arrow Lake-S will replace the canceled Meteor Lake-S:

There may have been some changes in Intel’s product planning for desktop computers. The previously rumored Meteor Lake-S, which was expected to launch in the first half of 2024, may be renamed Arrow Lake-S and paired with the Intel 800 series chipset. Both Meteor Lake-S and Arrow Lake-S use the Intel LGA 1851 socket. According to the source, Arrow Lake-S will maintain a maximum 8P+16E core configuration, while the 6P+16E configuration for MTL-S will be canceled.

HWiNFO, which frequently leaks new CPU or GPU products / WeUs, does not appear to include anything about Intel’s Meteor Lake-S. (MTL-S). Version 7.3.2, on the other hand, just mentions “Metero Lake.” Meanwhile, the most current pre-release version of the software (v7.41, Build 5020) has already introduced preliminary support for Arrow Lake-S. Although it is possible that Meteor Lake-S may have HWiNFO support after Arrow Lake-S, it is doubtful.

While Windows 12 may launch alongside Meteor Lake mobile instead of the Meteor Lake-S desktop Processors, this would be tough to do because Windows 12 would then have to be released by the end of this year or early next year. This is because Intel has repeatedly said that their Meteor Lake CPUs, which are designed on the Intel 4 node, will be manufacturing-ready by the second half of 2022. In a recent comment to The Verge, Intel official Thomas Hannaford stated that such plans have not altered and that Meteor Lake will be released in 2023.

Similarly, a 2023 launch for Windows 12 does not connect with the recent story that stated the Redmond behemoth was returning to a three-year launch pattern for new OSs, while a 2024 2H launch looks more feasible.

Nonetheless, Meteor Lake, like Alder Lake, would most likely require some more improvement. In Meteor Lake and Arrow Lake, Intel is aiming towards a tiled architecture. Because this strategy is quite similar to AMD’s chipset architecture, Intel will be able to use different process nodes across the different tiles inside its CPUs.

According to Intel’s process node roadmap, the 20A technology, which will power Arrow Lake, will be ready for production in the first half of 2024. According to the reports, this is also the year in which Windows 12 will be released.

Source: NeoWin