For over two decades, Intel’s fastest processors have featured hyperthreading—a technique that allows multiple threads to run on a single CPU core. AMD employs a similar approach, which it calls “simultaneous multi-threading.”

PC World was shocked when it noticed that the Intel sticker on any Lunar Lake laptop does not have the familiar “HT” label. That’s because none of the Lunar Lake CPUs use hyperthreading. In fact, hyperthreading is disabled on all Lunar Lake CPU cores, including both performance and efficiency cores.

The reason is that Chipzilla’s focus has shifted towards maximizing power efficiency in portable laptops. The performance cores (P-Cores) in the new Lunar Lakes series outperform the same cores in the previous-generation Meteor Lake CPUs by 14 per cent, even with hyperthreading turned off.

Enabling hyperthreading would incur a significant power cost, and Lunar Lake prioritises performance while maintaining thin, lightweight, and long-lasting laptops.

So Chipzilla is focused on single-thread performance—the aspect most relevant to users who typically handle one task at a time (common for laptops). By optimising surface area, Intel aims to enhance overall performance per watt. Removing the physical components required for hyperthreading aligns with this goal, although it may mean that Lunar Lake CPUs won’t match AMD-powered laptops in multi-threaded tasks.

We have already pointed out that Lunar Lake laptops won’t feature replaceable memory which limits those who want significant memory upgrades.

PC World thought that hyperthreading may still be used in future desktop CPUs. Applications in servers, data centres, and even gaming laptops that prioritise raw power over efficiency and size savings could benefit from hyperthreading.