- This product will be a GPU designed to accelerate computing in server systems.
- Performance per watt will increase by 20%, transistor density should double.
- In 2020, Intel will have time to release a 10nm GPU.
- Until 2023, three generations of the 7nm process technology will be replaced.
Intel just held an investor event designed to instill confidence in their cold, rational minds about the technological and financial potential of this CPU and GPU developer. Yes, yes, representatives of Intel paid no less attention to the last type of components in their reports than to central processors.
In pursuit of TSMC
CEO Robert Swan told investors about the general direction of development and transformation of Intel, but he saw fit to state that the corporation will invest serious resources in maintaining leadership in lithographic technologies. In all seriousness, Intel's progress in this area was compared with the success of TSMC. The first 10nm Ice Lake processors for laptops will be introduced in June, Ice Lake-SP server processors will appear in the first half of 2020, when TSMC will actively supply its customers with 7nm products. Well, in 2021, Intel expects to release its first 7nm products - by then TSMC will be producing 5nm products.
In general, the main Intel's achievements in the development of the 7nm process technology were led by Vice President Venkata Renduchintala. But first, he explained that the 10-n process technology will overcome three generations in its development. The first will debut this year (not counting the previous attempt in the face of Cannon Lake), the second will get a start in life in 2020, and the third will already exist in parallel with the 7nm process technology in 2021.
Directly, the first-generation 7nm process technology will provide a twofold increase in transistor density compared to the 10nm process technology, an increase in transistor speed by 20% in terms of performance per watt consumed, and a fourfold simplification of the design process. For the first time, Intel will use ultra-hard ultraviolet lithography specifically within the 7nm technology. In addition, the heterogeneous Foveros layout and next-generation EMIB substrate will be introduced at the same stage.
The 7nm process itself, according to Intel's presentation, will also go through three phases in its development, a new one will appear every year, up to and including 2023. Within the framework of 7-nm technology, a layout will be used to the full extent, which allows combining dissimilar crystals on one substrate - the so-called "chiplets".
The first-born on the 7-nm process technology will be a discrete graphics solution
The first product based on 7nm technology should be presented in 2021. It is already known that this will be a general-purpose graphics processor that will find application in data centers and artificial intelligence systems. Although Intel has previously been reluctant to refer to the "Intel Xe" architecture, in the presentation to investors, they do just that. It is important to note that the 7nm firstborn will be assembled from dissimilar crystals and will adopt advanced layout methods.
Intel specifically emphasizes that before that, a discrete graphics processor will be released in 2020, which will be manufactured using 10nm technology. It is quite possible that it will limit its scope to the consumer segment, and Intel will save the 7nm version for the server segment. As noted earlier, Intel's discrete GPUs will use an architecture inherited from integrated graphics cores. The precursor to these products will be Gen11 generation graphics, which Intel will be building into many of its 10nm products.
When the turn came to Intel's new CFO, George Davis, he was quick to say that in the pursuit of improving the consumer qualities of products during the transition from 10-nm to 7-nm process technology, the company will try to be prudent in spending money. Well, after mastering the 7nm process technology, the release of new generation products should ensure an increase in the specific income of investors per share.
Source: 3dnews.ru