Desktop processors based on Intel’s new upcoming microarchitecture (codenamed "Nehalem") will be formally branded "Intel Core processor." The first products in this new family of processors, including an "Extreme Edition" version, will carry an "i7" identifier and will be formally branded as Intel Core i7 processor. This is the first of several new identifiers to come as different products launch over the next year.

Initial products based on this microarchitecture are expected to be in production in the fourth quarter of this year. These processors will feature Intel Hyper-Threading Technology, also known as simultaneous multi-threading, and are capable of handling eight software "threads" on four processor cores.