It's more or less the same as Zen's 7nm. That's why they renamed their process, similar transistor densities. For years TSMC and Samsung named their processes to make it look like they were on par with Intel, where in reality their density was always one step behind. Of course, this all was before Intel's 10nm "smashing success".
This is what AMD used to do with their GPUs: push them to insane power requirements just to be able to claim they're on par with Nvidia. It's how underclocking/undervolting became a thing with AMD owners.
There's a lot more to learn about AL (e.g. a CPU that draws more power, but finishes a task quicker, may still use less energy than a CPU that uses less power, but for longer). But the simple fact is that fully loaded, out-of-the-box, AL burns through a lot of power. On the upside, using AVX512
doesn't result in even more power burnt. It stays within the same limits, which is a first for AVX512.
If I have a bone to pick with AL, it's the scheduler. Intel only went for Win11 support and apparently even that isn't foolproof yet. Win10 support falls well short (can be worked around manually, but that's subpar). And Linux patches haven't even begun to land, which is very uncharacteristic for Intel
That said, I still think a 12600k with a lower specced mobo (or even better a 12600 with an H mobo) are/will be great value for the money.