At the annual meeting with investors, Intel management reported on its work and announced plans for the coming years, and specifically until 2024.

In particular, the desktop CPU market is expected to face increased competition from AMD.

Here are links to specific Intel plans across the board:

Desktop CPUs (Client Computing)

Technical processes in the production of microelectronics

Data centers and artificial intelligence

Accelerators and video cards

Intel Foundry Services (custom chip manufacturing)

Software and advanced technologies

Networks and Edge (new division Network and Edge Group formed in 2021)

All directions are very interesting, but we are especially interested in the release of desktop and server CPUs, that is, the first three points.

Here's the most important thing.

Desktop CPUs

Raptor Lake

First, in the IV quarter. In 2022, a new generation of Raptor Lake desktop processors will be released: up to 24 cores (8C + 16c) and 32 threads, Intel 7 process technology, microarchitecture of Raptor Cove large cores, small Gracemont, Gen12.2 graphics, DDR4 / DDR5-5600 memory, PCIe 5.0.

At the Intel presentation, the specialists were able to easily load all 24 Raptor Lake cores (32 threads) in the Blender video editor (demo) at 100%. When rendering was removed to the background, the 100% load remained only on 16 energy-efficient cores, and the normal cores were freed up. That is, the system does not lose anything in responsiveness during normal operation.

The number of test runs per minute, the better

The latest builds of Windows 11 and new versions of the Linux kernel know how to efficiently balance the load between different types of cores in a hybrid architecture of Alder Lake and Raptor Lake. Appropriate patches have recently been added to the Linux 5.16 kernel: see Alder Lake test results on the latest distributions.

New generations

In addition to Raptor Lake, the following generations of CPUs have been confirmed:

Arrow Lake (2024)

Lunar Lake (2025)

Nova Lake

The Arrow Lake family (2024) will replace Meteor Lake (2023). Apparently, it will be released on the same technological platform using the Intel 4 technical processes (corresponds to what competitors call 4 nm) and Intel 20A (that is, an analogue of 20 angstrom, 2 nm).

The presentation also mentions the "External N3" process technology, which points to TSMC's 3 nm process. Process tolerance dimensions have long been used as marketing terms and have little to do with actual transistor sizes. The "Intel 4" process technology that Intel previously referred to as "7nm" is now equivalent to TSMC's and Samsung's 4nm node.

Another post-2024 process is simply labeled "External", which may indicate future generations of TSMC technology.

Arrow Lake is positioned as the 15th generation of Intel Core (15th Gen Core), Lunar Lake is the 16th generation (architecture of large Lion Cove cores, small Skymont, Gen13 graphics).

As for the near future, Alder Lake processors will continue to be released in 2021-2022 with the transition to Raptor Lake, in both cases the Intel 7 process technology (former 10ESF, similar to 7 nm nodes from competitors).

Thus, taking into account the new information, we can adjust the table with the marking of technological nodes and Intel CPU release plans. Now it looks something like this:

Old NameNew NameRelease PlanProductsFeatures10SF10SFNowTiger Lake

SG1

DG1

Xe-HPC Base Tile

Agilex-F/I FPGASuperMIM

Thin Film Barrier

Now on sale10ESFIntel 72022 H2

2023

Alder Lake (now)

Raptor Lake (Q4 22)

Sapphire Rapids (22)

Emerald Rapids (23)

Xe HP

Xe-HPC IO Tile+10-15% PPW

New FinFET7 nmIntel 42023Meteor Lake+20% PPW

EUV7+Intel 3, External N32023

2024Meteor Lake

Arrow Lake

Granite Rapids

Sierra Forest+18% PPW

Smaller size

More EUV5nmIntel 20A2024Arrow LakeRibbonFET

PowerVia5+Intel 18A2025Lunar LakeRibbonFET Gen 2

High NA EUVServe CPUs

In 2024, we plan to transition server processors to two product lines optimized for performance or efficiency: P (Performance) and E (Efficient).

The release of two new families Granite Rapids and Sierra Forest in 2024 on the Intel 3 process has been officially confirmed. The first will be the continuation of Emerald Rapids in the performance line. Emerald Rapids themselves will be released next year as an update to Sapphire Rapids in the same LGA 4677 slot.

But Sierra Forest is a completely new series of CPUs with an emphasis on energy efficiency (only E cores). Probably, this line should fight off the competition from ARM.

Approximately the same division by specialization is expected in the next generations of AMD Zen4 “Genoa/Bergamo” EPYC CPU server processors.

So far, Intel has been firmly in control of the server market. For example, in one December 2021, it shipped more server CPUs than AMD did in an entire year. Now Intel is selling the Ice Lake line (3rd generation Xeon Scalable, 10 nm process technology, 660 mm² area).In a few months, the release of the 4th generation of Xeon Scalable called Sapphire Rapids is expected. This will be a major upgrade with an area of more than 1600 mm² in top models with a maximum number of cores (four dies in one package). Plus eight 64-bit DDR5 channels, support for PCIe 5.0 and CXL 1.1.

The release of Sapphire Rapids was announced many years ago and has been repeatedly delayed.

Tags:

bbabo.Net