Intel Meteor Lake isn’t expected to arrive until next year, but reports suggest we’ll have to wait even longer for the best 14th-gen gaming CPU competitor. The news follows rumors of mass production issues that have apparently delayed the release of the gaming PC chip, accompanied by rumors of product design and process verification issues.

According to Trendforce, the mass production of Intel Meteor Lake CPUs was originally planned for the second half of 2022, but was postponed to early 2023 due to design and process verification issues. For unknown reasons, the 14th gen chip is now subject to further delays, with Team Blue seemingly canceling its 2023 TSMC N3 orders.

The Intel Meteor Lake rumor has already caught the company’s attention, as AnandTech EIC Ryan Smith says PR has sent out a note to insist the chips will arrive in 2023. Of course, the tech giant’s troubles extend beyond the realm of CPUs, as we’re still waiting for more than one graphics card to launch. Intel Arc, not to mention GPUs, have yet to leave China.

If you’re just a regular PC gamer, it’s arguably too early to worry about Meteor Lake, as Intel Raptor Lake is next on the company’s CPU agenda. However, if you’re an enthusiast trying to plan for future high-end builds, processor production uncertainty can be a nuisance.

Intel Raptor Lake will potentially be more expensive than Alder Lake, but a 13th Gen i9 CPU could become the fastest single core chip around. Naturally, this means Meteor Lake will have big shoes to fill once it finally arrives, and it’ll have to be quick on the mark to challenge AMD Zen 4, as a Ryzen 7000 roadmap already outlines future PC efforts to red team games