Intel Kaby Lake mass production slated for November/December

PC enthusiasts can look forward to another Intel and AMD clash later this year as it looks like the launch of the latter's new Zen architecture will largely coincide with the arrival of Intel's Kaby Lake. DigiTimes reports Kaby Lake will start shipping with U-series chips around mid-June, but this will be relatively low volume. Mass production of Kaby Lake is expected to kick of in November or December, and the new Z270 and H270 series chipsets aren't expected until October at the earliest.

AMD's Zen is expected towards the end of the year and will likely be a deciding factor for the company's future in the x86 market.

AMD plans to release AM4 socket-based eight-core high-end Summit Ridge and Raven Ridge-series processors both using its Zen architecture and manufactured on Samsung Electronics' and Globalfoundries' 14nm processes in the first quarter of 2017. Several motherboard players expect the new platform's improved performance and strong price competitiveness to give AMD some competitive advantages.