Intel’s Tom Petersen reveals the company’s new XE2 architecture strategy

Why it issues: Intel’s authentic eXascale for everybody (Xe) structure roadmap learn one thing akin to a bowl of alphabet soup. It targeted on low energy (Xe-LP), excessive efficiency (Xe-HP), high-performance compute (Xe-HPC), and high-performance graphics (Xe-HPG) applied sciences. Whereas the rollout wasn’t precisely what some would name clean, it is supplied Intel with a possibility to collect quite a lot of worthwhile market data, classes discovered, and buyer suggestions.

A latest HardwareLUXX interview with Intel Fellow Tom Petersen outlined how Intel used the collected data to resume their method to graphics know-how improvement. The unique Xe structure targeted on 4 distinct microarchitectures, which resulted in supply delays, cancellations, and less-than-stellar software program releases. Intel’s new Xe2 structure method seems to be to slim that focus and reinvigorate the corporate’s choices in low energy, excessive energy, and knowledge middle options.

Based on Petersen, Intel’s Xe2 “Battlemage” architecture can be break up into two microarchitectures, Xe low energy graphics (Xe-LPG) and Xe-HPG. The transfer is meant to assist Intel higher handle its mental property (IP) and concentrate on delivering actual, usable, scalable options by leveraging reusable IP throughout sectors whereas lowering the general variety of GPU variants produced.

Limiting the variety of variants required to assist built-in, desktop, and knowledge middle options will permit Intel to raised leverage {hardware} and software program options and efficiencies throughout all sectors. For instance, driver and software program improvement might be designed and function a foundation for all lessons of GPU, quite than requiring wholly completely different options for every kind of {hardware}.

Intel’s present line of ARC Battlemage GPUs would be the first of the Xe-HPG variants; nevertheless, they will not seemingly be available till early 2024. The low-power, built-in Xe-LPG structure will reportedly be featured in Intel’s new Meteor Lake household of processors, marking a departure from the corporate’s Iris Xe built-in graphics answer.

The change in path comes at a superb time for Group Blue. ARC A750 and A770 drivers and software program, each of which left a lot to be desired at preliminary launch, have continued to enhance dramatically. A lot, actually, that Intel’s rookie GPUs have been named in a number of lists of well-valued, mid-range GPUs that present glorious price-to-performance. The latest bumps in efficiency, stability, and customization are attributed to the latest 4091 driver update in addition to Intel’s new and improved ARC Management interface.