Intel is discontinuing its 9th-generation Skylake-X processors

Intel has confirmed that its discontinuing its 9th-generation Skylake-X line of high-end desktop (HEDT) processors. 

The chipmaker has issued a Product Change Notification (PCN) for the soon-to-be-defunct Core-X series. In it, Intel confirms that it will no longer be taking orders for these processors from January 22, 2021. 

Any orders made until then, Intel warns, are non-cancellable and non-returnable for distributors, though consumers buying up Skylake-X chips are still protected by product warranties and consumer laws. 

The last shipment of Skylake-X processor is expected a year from now, on July 9 2021.  

The termination will include all Intel Skylake-X processors based on the LGA2066 socket, including the Intel Core i7 9800X, Core i7 9820X Core i9 9900X, Core i9 9920X, Core i9 9940X, Core i9 9960X and Core i9 9980XE.

Several Xeon W series workstation processors are also being discontinued, including the 2102, 2104, 2123, 2125, 2133, 2135, 2145, 2155, 2195, and 2175.

This discontinuation of the Skylake-X series is hardly surprising, as Intel has already had its 10th-generation Cascade Lake-X chips, including the flagship Core i9-1090XE, on the market for some time. 

However, rumors claim that Intel won’t be launching any new HEDT processors any time soon. In a leaked product roadmap from the Intel Partner Connect virtual event,  the whole of 2020 is one big grey slab of ‘Core X Series’ on Intel’s X299 chipset, suggesting that the existing HEDT processors will be the only products offered this year.

It’s not all bad news, though, as it’s likely that Intel is holding out until a whole new motherboard and socket is ready, rather than rushing out another HEDT processor series based on the aging 14nm process.