Friday, February 18th 2022
Intel "Meteor Lake" and "Arrow Lake" Use GPU Chiplets
Intel's upcoming "Meteor Lake" and "Arrow Lake" client mobile processors introduce an interesting twist to the chiplet concept. Earlier represented in vague-looking IP blocks, new artistic impressions of the chip put out by Intel shed light on a 3-die approach not unlike the Ryzen "Vermeer" MCM that has up to two CPU core dies (CCDs) talking to a cIOD (client IO die), which handles all the SoC connectivity; Intel's design has one major difference, and that's integrated graphics. Apparently, Intel's MCM uses a GPU die sitting next to the CPU core die, and the I/O (SoC) die. Intel likes to call its chiplets "tiles," and so we'll go with that.
The Graphics tile, CPU tile, and the SoC or I/O tile, are built on three different silicon fabrication process nodes based on the degree of need for the newer process node. The nodes used are Intel 4 (optically 7 nm EUV, but with characteristics of a 5 nm-class node); Intel 20A (characteristics of 2 nm), and external TSMC N3 (3 nm) node. At this point we don't know which tile gets what. From the looks of it, the CPU tile has a hybrid CPU core architecture made up of "Redwood Cove" P-cores, and "Crestmont" E-core clusters.
The Graphics tile packs an iGPU based on the Xe LP graphics architecture, but leverages an advanced node to significantly increase the execution unit (EU) count to 352, and possible increase graphics clocks. The SoC and I/O tile packs the platform security processor, integrated northbridge, memory controllers, PCI-Express root-complex, and the various platform I/O.
Intel is preparing "Meteor Lake" for a 2023 launch, with development completing within 2022, although mass-production might still commence next year.
The Graphics tile, CPU tile, and the SoC or I/O tile, are built on three different silicon fabrication process nodes based on the degree of need for the newer process node. The nodes used are Intel 4 (optically 7 nm EUV, but with characteristics of a 5 nm-class node); Intel 20A (characteristics of 2 nm), and external TSMC N3 (3 nm) node. At this point we don't know which tile gets what. From the looks of it, the CPU tile has a hybrid CPU core architecture made up of "Redwood Cove" P-cores, and "Crestmont" E-core clusters.
Intel is preparing "Meteor Lake" for a 2023 launch, with development completing within 2022, although mass-production might still commence next year.
36 Comments on Intel "Meteor Lake" and "Arrow Lake" Use GPU Chiplets
Edit: Hey, can anyone identify this price-no-object processor called Itanium? It has four dies on a single substrate. They can't be anything else but cache - it's from a period when cache was separate from the CPU, like in Pentium II and III. Source: chipscapes.com/products/intel-generations
I've often wondered what the landscape would look like if Intel had been able to shift to IA-64 and leave x86 behind. AMD was smart to design the extension to x86 with AMD64, because of the state of the software market, but a clean break could have changed everything.
Just it's as new as my bad knee.
Which time around ,this time or last time?!