Intel LGA-1954 socket spotted in Taipei, 2L-ILM design appears in the wild
First look at the socket for Nova Lake-S.
LC Tech Leaks has shared a photo of what is claimed to be Intel’s next-generation LGA-1954 socket at an undisclosed location in Taipei. The post does not name the motherboard vendor or board model, but the marking points to Intel’s next desktop platform for Nova Lake-S processors.
New socket for new CPUs
LGA-1954 is expected to replace LGA-1851, which is currently used by Arrow Lake-S. The socket is tied to Intel’s 900-series desktop platform, including Z990, Z970, B960, Q970, and W980 chipsets. Nova Lake-S is expected to launch under the Core Ultra 400S series.
The more interesting part is the retention mechanism. We leaked in April that Intel was preparing a 2L-ILM design for Nova Lake-S boards. This stands for two-lever independent loading mechanism. This design is meant to improve IHS flatness and succeed the reduced-load ILM used on LGA-1851 boards.
The design brings Intel desktop sockets closer to older HEDT platforms such as X99/LGA2011, which also used a two-lever socket layout. This is likely aimed at higher-end boards, where vendors want more even mounting pressure and better contact between the CPU heat spreader and cooler. It also lines up with earlier information that 2L-ILM would be used on enthusiast and overclocking-focused motherboards.
LGA 1954 at an unknown location somewhere in Taipei #techleaks #technews #computex #dontgetintrouble pic.twitter.com/yEqI2leagW
— LC Tech Leaks (and News) (@laurentschoice) June 3, 2026
Z990 appears
GIGABYTE already showed an unnamed future Intel motherboard at Computex with three EPS 8-pin CPU power connectors. The socket was covered, but the board was believed to be linked to Z990 and Nova Lake-S. Intel has said Nova Lake is coming at the end of 2026, although desktop retail availability may still move closer to CES 2027.
Source: LC Tech Leaks
