Intel's next-generation Xeon processors code-named Sapphire Rapids are on track to hit the market this year. These new processors are supposed to bring a wide array of new and improved features and a chance for Intel to show off its 10 nm SuperFin manufacturing process in the server market. Thanks to the Twitter user YuuKi_AnS, we have some of the first tests run in AIDA64 and Cinebench R15 benchmark suites. Yuuki managed to get ahold of DDR5-enabled Sapphire Rapids Xeon with 48 cores and 96 threads, equipped with a base frequency of 2.3 GHz and boost speeds of 3.3 GHz. The processor tested was an engineering sample with a Q-SPEC designation of "QYFQ" and made for Intel Socket E (LGA-4677). This CPU sample was locked at 270 Watt TDP.

Below, you can see the performance results of this processor, tested in the AIDA64 cache and memory benchmark and Cinebench R15 bench test. There is a comparison between AMD's Milan-X and Xeon Platinum 8380, so the numbers are more in check of what you can expect from the final product.

Intel, in a move comparable to its competitors' Performance Rating system from the 1990s, has invented a new naming scheme for its in-house foundry nodes to claim technological parity with contemporaries such as TSMC and Samsung, that are well into the sub-10 nm class. Back in the i586 era, when Intel's competitors such as AMD and Cyrix, couldn't keep up with its clock-speeds yet found their chips to be somewhat competitive, they invented the PR (processor rating) system, with a logical number attempting to denote parity with an Intel processor's clock-speed. For example, a PR400 processor rating meant that the chip rivaled a Pentium II 400 MHz (which it mostly didn't). The last that the PR system made sense was with the final generation of single-core performance chips, Pentium 4 and Athlon XP, beyond which, the introduction of multi-core obfuscated the PR system. A Phenom X4 9600 processor didn't mean performance on par with a rival Intel chip running at an impossible 9.60 GHz.

Intel's new foundry naming system sees its 10 nm Enhanced SuperFin node re-badge as "Intel 7." The company currently builds 11th Gen Core "Tiger Lake" processors on the 10 nm SuperFin node, and is expected to build its upcoming 12th Gen Core "Alder Lake" chips on its refinement, the 10 nm Enhanced SuperFin, which will now be referred to as "Intel 7." The company is careful to avoid using the nanometer unit next to the number, instead signaling the consumer that the node somehow offers transistor density and power characteristics comparable to a 7 nm node. Intel 7 offers a 10-15 percent performance/Watt gain over 10 nm SuperFin, and is already in volume production, with a debut within 2021 with "Alder Lake."

Intel Corporation today revealed one of the most detailed process and packaging technology roadmaps the company has ever provided, showcasing a series of foundational innovations that will power products through 2025 and beyond. In addition to announcing RibbonFET, its first new transistor architecture in more than a decade, and PowerVia, an industry-first new backside power delivery method, the company highlighted its planned swift adoption of next-generation extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUV), referred to as High Numerical Aperture (High NA) EUV. Intel is positioned to receive the first High NA EUV production tool in the industry.

"Building on Intel's unquestioned leadership in advanced packaging, we are accelerating our innovation roadmap to ensure we are on a clear path to process performance leadership by 2025," Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger said during the global "Intel Accelerated" webcast. "We are leveraging our unparalleled pipeline of innovation to deliver technology advances from the transistor up to the system level. Until the periodic table is exhausted, we will be relentless in our pursuit of Moore's Law and our path to innovate with the magic of silicon."

Intel on Tuesday issued product-change notifications (PCNs) to announce the discontinuation of its first Hybrid processors, codenamed "Lakefield," besides 15-Watt U-segment variants of its "Ice Lake" and "Comet Lake" mobile processors. With the product discontinuation notice put out, it sets the ball rolling toward a year-long process where Intel solicits its final orders for these chips from OEMs and distributors, fulfills these orders last by 2022, and marks these parts "End of Life" (EOL).

Intel's mobile processor segment is dominated by the "Tiger Lake" microarchitecture on the 10 nm SuperFin node. Quad-core variants of the architecture cover the 15 W Y- and U-segments, while 8-core variants span the 35 W to 55 W H-segments for mainstream notebooks. Intel's next hybrid mobile processor, the "Alder Lake-P," is expected arrive in Q4-2021.

Intel's upcoming Ponte Vecchio graphics card is set to be the company's most powerful processor ever designed, and the chip is indeed looking like an engineering marvel. From Intel's previous teasers, we have learned that Ponte Vecchio is built using 47 "magical tiles" or 47 dies which are responsible either for computing elements, Rambo Cache, Xe links, or something else. Today, we are getting a new piece of information coming from Igor's LAB, regarding the Ponte Vecchio and some of its design choices. For starters, the GPU will be a heterogeneous design that consists out of many different nodes. Some parts of the GPU will be manufactured on Intel's 10 nm SuperFin and 7 nm technologies, while others will use TSMC's 7 nm and 5 nm nodes. The smaller and more efficient nodes will probably be used for computing elements. Everything will be held together by Intel's EMIB and Foveros 3D packaging.

Next up, we have information that this massive Intel processor will be accountable for around 600 Watts of heat output, which is a lot to cool. That is why in the leaked renders, we see that Intel envisioned these processors to be liquid-cooled, which would make the cooling much easier and much more efficient compared to air cooling of such a high heat output. Another interesting thing is that the Ponte Vecchio is designed to fit inside OAM (OCP Accelerator Module) form factor, an alternative to the regular PCIe-based accelerators in data centers. OAM is used primarily by hyper scalers like Facebook, Amazon, Google, etc., so we imagine that Intel already knows its customers before the product even hits the market.

Intel today announced the 11th generation Core "Tiger Lake-H" mobile processors for notebooks of conventional thickness, gaming notebooks, and mobile workstations. This is the first scale-up of the "Tiger Lake" microarchitecture, with the introduction of a brand new die that has up to 8 "Willow Cove" CPU cores. These processors typically come with TDP of 35-45 W, but the flagship part ships with TDP as high as 65 W. Unlike "Rocket Lake," this chip is built on Intel's latest 10 nm SuperFin silicon fabrication process. With it, Intel is announcing ten processor SKUs—five each for the consumer and commercial notebook market segments. These span across the Core i9, Core i7, and Core i5 brand extensions.

The 10 nm "Tiger Lake-H" silicon measures roughly 190 mm², and has several changes compared to the 4-core "Tiger Lake-U" silicon the company debuted the 11th Gen with. The biggest change is the CPU core count of 8. This lets it not only achieve parity with AMD in mobile CPU core counts, but also purportedly beat it on the back of a higher IPC. Each of these 8 "Willow Cove" cores has 1.25 MB of dedicated L2 cache, and share 24 MB of L3 cache. You get the same "Willow Cove" ISA as the "Tiger Lake-U," including AVX-512 and DLBoost. Next up, the chip features an integrated graphics based on the Gen12 Xe LP graphics architecture, only that the execution units have reduced to just 32 on this silicon, compared to 96 on the 4-core Tiger Lake-U. The new chip enjoys a bigger power budget to run the iGPU at higher clock speeds. There is also a 20-lane PCI-Express Gen 4.0 interface, and a dual-channel DDR4 memory controller.

Intel's 11th Gen Core "Rocket Lake-S" could have a brief stint as the tip of Intel's desktop spear. Wccftech reports that its successor, the 12th Gen Core "Alder Lake-S," could launch by November 2021. The processor debuts on the new LGA1700 socket, and will introduce many firsts to the platform. The biggest change will be the heterogenous CPU core architecture. The top-spec "Alder Lake-S" is believed to be a 16-core/24-thread processor. From these, 8 will be larger high-performance cores, featuring HyperThreading, while the other 8 will be smaller high-efficiency cores. The chip is expected to be built on the 10 nm SuperFin process, and hence Intel is expected to significantly lower power draw of desktops when the machine is idling or handling lighter desktop loads.

Besides the major update to the CPU cores, "Alder Lake-S" is expected to continue featuring a Xe LP based integrated graphics solution. Significant changes with the I/O are expected, including DDR5 memory support with backwards compatibility for DDR4, and PCI-Express Gen 5.0. The LGA1700 socket is significantly different from the various LGA115x/LGA1200 sockets Intel has been pulling for its mainstream desktop platforms since 2009. It could trigger the need for new CPU coolers that support the socket.

IBASE Technology Inc. (TPEx: 8050), IBASE, a leading provider of industrial motherboards and embedded systems, launches its latest 3.5" SBC IB953 powered by 11th Gen Intel Core processors (codenamed Tiger Lake). Measuring 146 x 102 mm in a compact footprint, the single board computer offers impressive I/O and computing performance, making it an ideal platform for a broad range of demanding applications in factory automation, machine vision, healthcare, as well as retail environments.

The IB953 features a 5G compatible M.2 3052 socket and the latest 11th Gen. Intel Core and Celeron processors built on 10 nm SuperFin process, delivering up to 25% faster performance and greater AI acceleration. With the Intel Core i7-1185G7 (IBASE model IB953AF-I7) comes the new Iris Xe (Xe-LP) graphics architecture supporting 96 EUs (Execution Units) which equals 768 cores and runs at 1.35 GHz, an increase of 250 MHz over the previous 11-gen graphics to provide up to twice the performance and improved power efficiency. The graphics engine's hardware acceleration can drive up to four simultaneous 4K HDR displays (via 2x DisplayPort + eDP and LVDS).

Intel's fabled 8-core "Tiger Lake-H" silicon built on the 10 nm SuperFin process, is close to reality. The company's upcoming 11th Gen Core "Tiger Lake-H" processors for performance- and gaming notebooks, leverages this die. An HD Tecnologia report leaks alleged company slides from Intel that detail the processor line up and feature-set. To begin with, the 11th Gen Core-H series processors come in core-counts ranging from 4-core/8-thread, to 6-core/12-thread, and 8-core/16-thread. Look at the embargo date on the leaked slides, one could expect a formal launch as close as May 11, 2021.

The 10 nm SuperFin "Tiger Lake-H" silicon features 8 "Willow Cove" CPU cores, and an updated iGPU based on the company's latest Gen12 Xe LP graphics architecture. Each of the eight CPU cores has 1.25 MB of L2 cache, and they share a massive 24 MB of L3 cache. The Gen12 Xe LP iGPU only has 32 execution units (EUs), according to the slides, 1/3rd those of the 96 EUs on the "Tiger Lake-U." The uncore component is also updated, now featuring dual-channel DDR4-3200 native support, and a 28-lane PCI-Express 4.0 root-complex. 16 of these lanes are wired out as PEG (PCI-Express Graphics), four as a CPU-attached NVMe slot, and eight toward the 8-lane DMI 3.0 chipset bus.

Intel's upcoming Alder Lake generation of processors is going to be the first iteration of heterogeneous x86 architecture. That means that Intel will for the first time combine smaller, low-power cores, with some big high-performance cores to provide the boost to all the workloads. If a task doesn't need much power, as some background task, for example, the smaller cores are used. And if you need to render something or you want to fire up a game, big cores are used to provide the power needed for the tasks. Intel has decided to provide such an architecture on the advanced 10 nm SuperFin, which represents a major upgrade over the existing 14 nm process.

Today, we got some information from Igor's Lab, showing the leaked specification of the Intel Core-1800 processor engineering sample. While this may not represent the final name, we see that the leaked information shows that the processor is B0 stepping. That means that the CPU will see more changes when the final sample arrives. The CPU has 16 cores with 24 threads. Eight of those cores are big ones with hyperthreading, while the remaining 8 are smaller Atom cores. They are running at the base clock of 1800 MHz, while the boost speeds are 4.6 GHz with two cores, 4.4 GHz with four cores, and 4.2 GHz with 6 cores. When all cores are used, the boost speed is locked at 4.0 GHz. The CPU has a PL1 TDP of 125 Watts, while the PL2 configuration boosts the TDP to 228 Watts. The CPU was reportedly running at 1.3147 Volts during the test. You can check out the complete datasheet below.

Intel today is launching its 3rd Generation Xeon Scalable processor bringing its first major IPC uplift to the enterprise space in five years. The Xeon Scalable processors are built on the 10 nm SuperFin process, and the "Ice Lake-SP" microarchitecture that bring new "Sunny Cove" CPU cores to the server space, including support for PCI-Express 4.0 I/O capabilities, a wider memory interface, and a more feature-rich AVX-512 instruction-set, along with DLBoost for HPC. join us for its launch live-blog.14:59 UTC: CEO Pat Gelsinger and Data Platforms group head Navin Shenoy are expected to take centerstage. Xeon and memory group head Lisa Spelman could announce relevant platform products. This is Gelsinger's first major launch since taking office.

15:01 UTC: What will you solve for?

Intel only just announced their 11th generation Rocket Lake-S desktop processors last week but we are already receiving information about the next generation Alder Lake-S platform which will finally make the jump to 10 nm. Intel slides for the upcoming family of processors have been leaked and they reveal some interesting information including a claimed 20% single-threaded performance increases from the new Golden Cove core design and 10 nm SuperFin node. The processors will feature Intel Hybrid Technology with a mix of small low-performance cores and large high-performance cores with a maximum of eight each for sixteen total cores. The processors will also include the latest connectivity with both PCIe 4.0 and PCIe 5.0 support along with DDR4 and DDR5 4800 MHz compatibility.

Intel will also be launching a new socket type called LGA1700 with a new package size which will render existing cooling solutions for LGA115X and LGA1200 sockets incompatible. The processors will also come with the launch of a new 600 Series chipset with PCIe 3.0 and PCIe 4.0 support along with the usual complement of USB, SATA, and networking. The entry-level 600-series motherboards will only support DDR4 memory at up to 3200 MHz while high-end Z690 motherboards will include DDR5 support. Intel has confirmed that they intend to launch Alder Lake later this year but it is yet to be known if they are referring to the desktop or mobile series.

Hewlett Packard Enterprise, the company focused on making enterprise hardware and software, has today mistakenly listed some of Intel's upcoming 3rd generation Xeon Scalable processors. Called Ice Lake-SP, the latest server processor generation is expected to launch sometime in the coming days, with a possible launch date being the March 23rd "Intel Unleashed" webcast. The next generation of processors will finally bring a new vector of technologies Intel needs in server space. That means the support for PCIe 4.0 protocol for higher speed I/O and octa-channel DDR4 memory controller for much greater bandwidth. The CPU lineup will for the first time use Intel's advanced 10 nm node called 10 nm SuperFin.

Today, in the leaked HPE listing, we get to see some of the Xeon models Intel plans to launch. Starting from 32-core models, all the way to 40-core models, all SKUs above 28 cores are supposed to use dual die configuration to achieve high core counts. The limit of a single die is 28 cores. HPE listed a few models, with the highest-end one being the Intel Xeon Platinum XCC 8380 processor. It features 40 cores with 80 threads and a running frequency of 2.3 GHz. If you are wondering about TDP, it looks like the 10 nm SuperFin process is giving good results, as the CPU is rated only for 270 Watts of power.

Intel is expected to unveil its 11th generation Core "Tiger Lake-H" performance-segment mobile processor, and the highly anticipated 11th Gen Core "Rocket Lake-S" desktop processor family on March 18, 2021. The two will be launched on the sidelines of the 2021 GDC (Game Developers Conference), an online event. The agenda page of GDC mentions both "Tiger Lake-H" and "Rocket Lake." The "Tiger Lake-H" family of processors begin with quad-core SKUs based on the 4-core "Tiger Lake" silicon, extending to 6-core and 8-core ones based on a newer 8-core silicon. Both dies are built on the 10 nm SuperFin node, and combine Intel's highest-IPC "Willow Cove" CPU cores with a Gen 12 Xe iGPU.

The 11th Gen Core "Rocket Lake-S" has been unveiled back at the 2021 International CES (online event) in January, and is heading toward a mid/late-March launch. The chips pack up to eight "Cypress Cove" CPU cores, which are a back-port of Intel's 10 nm CPU core architectures to the 14 nm node, bringing the first IPC increase on the client desktop platform from Intel since 2015. At GDC, we expect Intel to detail individual SKUs within the 11th Gen Core processor family, giving us a broader idea of what chips will launch this month. The GDC backdrop also foreshadows the marketing strategy for Intel with both these platforms—gaming. The company will take advantage of the IPC uplift to present its processors as being better for gaming, and sufficiently fast in most client-relevant tasks. The GDC backdrop could also let Intel show off the ISV relations it's built with game developers, detailing how certain popular game engines are optimized for Intel.

Intel published Linux kernel driver patches that reference a new CPU microarchitecture, codenamed "Lunar Lake." The patch comments refer to "Lunar Lake" as a client platform, and VideoCardz predicts that it could succeed "Meteor Lake." the microarchitecture that follows "Alder Lake," which was recently announced by Intel.

Targeting both mobile and desktop platforms, "Alder Lake" will herald a new 1,700-pin LGA socket for the client desktop, and debut hybrid CPU cores on the form-factor. Expected to be built on a newer silicon fabrication node, such as the 10 nm SuperFin, the chip will combine high-performance "Golden Cove" big cores, with "Gracemont" low-power cores. Its commercial success will determine if Intel continues to take the hybrid-core approach to client processors with future "Meteor Lake" and "Lunar Lake," or whether it will have sorted out its foundry woes and build "Lunar Lake" with a homogeneous CPU core type. With "Alder Lake" expected to debut toward the end of 2021 and "Meteor Lake" [hopefully] by 2022, "Lunar Lake" would only follow by 2023-24.

Intel's new 8-core "Tiger Lake" silicon will play a major role in holding the company's dominance in the mobile processor space, with plans for new 6-core and 8-core SKUs being in motion. OneRaichu on Twitter, a reliable source with Intel leaks, points to several unreleased model numbers. The 8-core "Tiger Lake-H" die is expected to be built on the same 10 nm SuperFin process as the "Tiger Lake-U" silicon. The lineup is led by the Core i9-11980HK, an 8-core/16-thread processor that uses eight "Willow Cove" CPU cores, 2.60 GHz nominal- and 5.00 GHz max-Turbo frequency, and 3.30 GHz AVX512 frequency. This chip will be in a class of its own, as its TDP is rated at 65 W, significantly above the 35-45 W TDP range that constitutes the H-segment. It will likely power large gaming notebooks with elaborate cooling solutions. It will also come with an unlocked base-clock multiplier.

The Core i9-11900H is the next chip in the lineup, with slightly lower clock speeds of 2.50 GHz base, 4.90 GHz max-Turbo, and 2.10 GHz AVX512. This chip features a much lower 35 W TDP, and will come with aggressive power management compared to the i9-11980HK. The Core i7-11800H will be the slowest 8-core part, with clock speeds of 2.40 GHz nominal, 4.60 GHz max-Turbo, and 2.00 GHz AVX512. It comes with the same 35 W TDP as the i9-11900H. Next up, are 6-core/12-thread parts, likely under the Core i5 brand. These include the i5-11400H, clocked at 2.70 GHz nominal, 4.50 GHz max-Turbo, and 2.20 GHz AVX512. At the bottom of the pile is the i5-11260H, clocked at 2.60 GHz, with 4.40 GHz max-Turbo, and 2.10 GHz AVX512. Both Core i5 parts are 35-Watt.

In the latest round of rumors, we have today received some really interesting news regarding Intel's upcoming lineup of desktop processors. Thanks to HKEPC media, we have information about the launch date of Intel's Rocket Lake-S processor lineup and Alder Lake-S details. Starting with Rocket Lake, Intel did not unveil the exact availability date on these processors. However, thanks to HKEPC, we have information that Rocket Lake is landing in our hands on March 15th. With 500 series chipsets already launched, consumers are now waiting for the processors to arrive as well, so they can pair their new PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSDs with the latest processor generation.

When it comes to the next generation Alder Lake-S design, Intel is reported to use its enhanced 10 nm SuperFin process for the manufacturing of these processors. This would mean that the node is more efficient than the regular 10 nm SuperFin present on Tiger Lake processors, and some improvements like better frequencies are expected. Alder Lake is expected to make use of big.LITTLE core configuration, with small cores being Gracemont designs, and the big cores being Golden Cove designs. The magic of Golden Cove is expected to result in 20% IPC improvement over Willow Cove, which exists today in Tiger Lake designs. Paired with PCIe 5.0 and DDR5 technology, Alder Lake is looking like a compelling upgrade that is arriving in December of this year. Pictured below is the LGA1700 engineering sample of Alder Lake-S processor.

Here are some of the first pictures of the Intel Xe DG1 SDV, taken apart to reveal its rather desolate PCB. The Xe DG1 SDV isn't commercially available, but rather distributed by Intel to ISVs, so they can begin optimizing or developing for the Gen12 Xe graphics architecture. The board features a GPU ASIC that's nearly identical to the Iris Xe MAX mobile discrete GPUs, and four LPDDR4 memory chips making up 8 GB of video memory.

The Xe DG1 GPU is based on the Xe LP graphics architecture, and the silicon is built on the 10 nm SuperFin silicon fabrication node. The chip features 96 execution units (768 unified shaders); and apparently makes do with the 75 W power supplied by the PCI-Express slot. A frugal 2-phase VRM powers the GPU. The GPU uses conventional 4-pin PWM to control the fan, which ventilates a simple aluminium mono-block heatsink. Three DisplayPorts and one HDMI 2.1 make up the output configuration. While you won't be able to buy a Xe DG1 SDV in the market (unless an ISV decides to break their NDA and put one up on eBay), Intel has allowed a small number of board partners to develop custom-design cards. ASUS is ready with one. Igor's Lab has more pictures, a list of benchmark fails, and other interesting commentary in the source link below.

2021 is shaping up to be a big year for Intel in the DIY desktop space, with the company preparing to launch not one, but two generations of desktop processors. Having announced them in January, the 11th Gen Core "Rocket Lake-S" desktop processors in the LGA1200 package, will release to market in March, with the company claiming a restoration in gaming performance leadership away from AMD's Ryzen 5000 series. Sources tell Uniko's Hardware that the company will announce its 12th Gen successor, the Core "Alder Lake-S" in September 2021.

"Alder Lake-S" will be Intel's first mainstream desktop processor built on its new 10 nm SuperFin silicon fabrication process. The chip is expected to be a "hybrid" processor, combining an equal number of larger "Golden Cove" cores, and smaller "Gracemont" cores, to offer significantly improved energy efficiency. Built in the new Socket LGA1700 package, "Alder Lake-S" is expected to feature more general-purpose SoC connectivity than LGA1200 chips. It will also herald new platform standards, such as DDR5 memory and possibly even mainstreaming of ATX12VO. The processor will launch alongside new Intel 600-series chipset. AMD's response is expected to be the "Zen 4" microarchitecture, a new silicon built on the 5 nm process, and the new AM5 socket that introduces DDR5 memory support.

In a world where computing is pervasive and intelligence is distributed across every surface - from the cloud to the network to the intelligent edge - Intel today at CES 2021 highlighted how it is driving technology leadership to define the future of computing for people, business and society. To help people navigate through this extraordinary time, Intel introduced new processors for business, education, mobile and gaming computing platforms - all designed to offer the premium PC experiences people deserve, with the most choices and no limits.

"Only Intel has the breadth of products spanning multiple architectures; the large, open ecosystem; sheer scale of manufacturing footprint; and deep technical expertise customers need to unlock opportunities in this era of distributed intelligence," said Intel Executive Vice President Gregory Bryant. "With an intense focus on execution for our core products and across our broader portfolio, we're introducing a series of leadership products at CES with more following throughout the year."

In response to incredible customer demand, Intel has doubled its combined 14 nm and 10 nm manufacturing capacity over the past few years. To do this, the company found innovative ways to deliver more output within existing capacity through yield improvement projects and significant investments in capacity expansion. This video recounts that journey, which even included re-purposing existing lab and office space for manufacturing.

"Over the last three years, we have doubled our wafer volume capacity, and that was a significant investment. Moving forward, we're not stopping… We are continuing to invest into factory capacity to ensure we can keep up with the growing needs of our customers," says Keyvan Esfarjani, senior vice president and general manager of Manufacturing and Operations at Intel. The company also ramped its new 10 nm process this year. Intel currently manufactures 10 nm products in high volumes at its Oregon and Arizona sites in the U.S. and its site in Israel.

Today, thanks to the ServeTheHome forum member "111alan", we have the first pictures of the alleged Intel Sapphire Rapids Xeon processor. Pictured is what appears to be a dual-die design similar to Cascade Lake-SP design with 56 cores and 112 threads that uses two dies. The Sapphire Rapids is a 10 nm SuperFin design that allegedly comes even in the dual-die configuration. To host this processor, the motherboard needs an LGA4677 socket with 4677 pins present. The new LGA socket, along with the new 10 nm Sapphire Rapids Xeon processors are set for delivery in 2021 when Intel is expected to launch its new processors and their respective platforms.

The processor pictured is clearly a dual-die design, meaning that Intel used some of its Multi-Chip Package (MCM) technology that uses EMIB to interconnect the silicon using an active interposer. As a reminder, the new 10 nm Sapphire Rapids platform is supposed to bring many new features like a DDR5 memory controller paired with Intel's Data Streaming Accelerator (DSA); a brand new PCIe 5.0 standard protocol with a 32 GT/s data transfer rate, and a CXL 1.1 support for next-generation accelerators. The exact configuration of this processor is unknown, however, it is an engineering sample with a clock frequency of a modest 2.0 GHz.

Intel has launched its Tiger Lake-U lineup of products back in September, with the availability of the first products in October. The launched lineup was part of the "U" variant of ultra-portable devices that stretched only to four core, eight threaded configurations. However, given that the new competitor in mobile space, AMD, has a wide portfolio of offerings that are coming with up to 8C/16T variants, Intel needs a proper response to that. Despite having a better single-threaded performance, the multi-threaded capability of the Ryzen 4000 series is delivering better performance. Thanks to the popular hardware leaker, TUM APISAK, we have the first appearance of Intel's 11th generation Tiger Lake-H processor.

Appearing in Userbenchmark, the processor was tested on a platform codenamed "Insyde TigerLake". The processor was spotted running 8 cores and 16 threads, at the average frequency of 2.75 GHz. This is only an engineering sample, meaning that these clocks do not represent the final frequencies of the processor. As a reminder, Intel's Tiger Lake CPU is a Willow Cove based design manufactured on Intel's 10 nm SuperFin silicon node. We are yet to see the capabilities of the new node and how the chip performs once the reviews arrive.

Intel has just recently announced its next-generation Rocket Lake-S processor specifications designed to bring improved performance and newer platform technologies like PCIe 4.0. However, we are yet to see the first 10 nm CPU for desktop users. Today, thanks to the sources over at VideoCardz, we have the first look at Intel's next-next-generation processor called Alder Lake. The Alder Lake-S is a platform that brings many of the "firsts" for Intel. It will be the first architecture being built on the company's 10 nm SuperFin architecture. Alongside the new node, the platform will transition to the next-generation of technologies. Rumored are the transitions to PCIe 5.0 and perhaps, most importantly - DDR5.

Another new approach will be Intel's adaptation of Arm's big.LITTLE heterogeneous core structure. The processor will feature a few of the "little" cores for light tasks, and fire up the "big" cores for heavy computing. All of that will require a new socket to house the processor, which is the LGA1700. You can see the new processor below, compared to LGA1200 CPU from the previous generation.

Intel today launched its Iris Xe MAX discrete graphics processor for thin-and-light notebooks powered by 11th Gen Core "Tiger Lake" processors. Dell, Acer, and ASUS are launch partners, debuting the chip on their Inspiron 15 7000, Swift 3x, and VivoBook TP470, respectively. The Iris Xe MAX is based on the Xe LP graphics architecture, targeted at compact scale implementations of the Xe SIMD for mainstream consumer graphics. Its most interesting feature is Intel DeepLink, and a powerful media acceleration engine that includes hardware encode acceleration for popular video formats, including HEVC, which should make the Iris Xe MAX a formidable video content production solution on the move.

The Iris Xe MAX is a fully discrete GPU built on Intel's 10 nm SuperFin silicon fabrication process. It features an LPDDR4X dedicated memory interface with 4 GB of memory at 68 GB/s of bandwidth, and uses PCI-Express 4.0 x4 to talk to the processor, but those are just the physical layers. On top of these are what Intel calls Deep Link, an all encompassing hardware abstraction layer that not only enables explicit multi-GPU with the Xe LP iGPU of "Tiger Lake" processors, but also certain implicit multi-GPU functions such as fine-grained division of labor between the dGPU and iGPU to ensure that the right kind of workload is split between the two. Intel referred to this as GameDev Boost, and we detailed it in an older article.