Fans of Team Blue's Alchemist graphics architecture were slightly disappointed by no new discrete Arc GPU products showing up at this week's Innovation event—where product presentations focused heavily on the CPU-side of things. There was a small hope of Intel's Arc A580 GPU making an appearance at Intel's California gig, following alleged pre-release samples getting benchmarked over the summer. This was the first sign of activity in a year—the three other first generation Alchemist SKUs (A380, A750 and A770) have been released into the wild.

The whole series suffered numerous delays, and launched to a mixed reception late last year. Intel engineers have produced plenty of driver updates and software improvements at an admirable rate throughout 2023. We have not heard much about Alchemist+ since springtime—leaked presentation slides indicated that a refreshed generation was marked for launch around the third and fourth quarters of this year. Given that Team Blue did not showcase Arc "1.5" cards during their Innovation show, we can assume that deadlines have been missed yet again. Battlemage has been spotted most recently—in the form of a BMG G10 GPU sitting in plain sight during a press tour of Intel's Malaysian facility. It will be interesting to find out whether this fully next-generation series has been prioritized.

Intel is reportedly settling for 6P+4E as the CPU core configuration for its upcoming Core i5-14400 and i5-14400F desktop processors. That's 6 performance cores or P-cores, and 4 efficiency cores or E-cores. Two distinct engineering samples of the i5-14400 were spotted in the wild, one of which had a 6P+4E configuration, and the other believed to be with 6P+8E, like the rest of the 14th Gen Core i5 series. There are two distinct steppings of the i5-14400 among the engineering samples, besides the core-configuration, B0 and C0.

What differentiates B0 from C0 is the specific die they're based on. B0 is the larger "Raptor Lake-S" die that physically has 8 P-cores and 16 E-cores, which has been significantly cut down to achieve the 6P+4E configuration; whereas C0 is the die the "Alder Lake-S" top-spec processor models were based on, which physically have an 8P+8E configuration. Both B0 and C0 Core i5-14400/F processors have 6P+4E. The P-cores on both steppings, including B0, are configured with 1.25 MB of dedicated L2 cache, the E-core clusters on both each have 2 MB of L2 cache; and both get 20 MB of shared L3 cache, and 65 W of processor base power. The Core i5-14400 and i5-14400F succeed a long line of successful processor models for Intel, positioned around or below the $200 mark.

Durabook, an innovator in purpose-built, rugged computing solutions, today announced the launch of the next-generation S15 Semi-Rugged Laptop equipped with the latest Intel 12th Gen Alder Lake platform. The combination of this powerful CPU, coupled with a comprehensive set of connectivity options, security support, and its capability for further expandability makes this semi-rugged laptop with its large screen the perfect support for professional field services personnel running ever more sophisticated applications in challenging conditions.

The laptop's 15.6" Full HD display may be the first thing to turn the head of a field service professional, but the CPU performance of the S15 Semi-Rugged Laptop with Intel Core i7 and i5 processors that are up to 206% faster than previously is an eye-opener. Looking past the handsome rugged exterior, at the Intel Iris Xe Graphics package, ultra-reliable connectivity, and the ability to operate as a workstation configured with up to three storage drives, this is the ideal rugged laptop for field services workers.

Thermaltake, the leading PC DIY premium brand for Case, Power, Cooling, Gaming peripherals, and enthusiast Memory solutions, is pleased to unveil the Pacific SW1 Plus CPU Water Block and the Pacific SF Fittings - Silver Black. The custom liquid cooling system provides considerable flexibility in design, allowing you to demonstrate your aesthetic sense. If you are an industrial chic enthusiast, the Pacific SW1 Plus and the Pacific SF Fittings, which feature a New Industrial Style, are the ideal components for leveling up your cooling system's appearance while ensuring thermal performance and installation compatibility.

Pacific SW1 Plus CPU Water Block
Designed with a modern industrial style, the Pacific SW1 Plus CPU Water Block comes in solid aluminium alloy with a screw design, displaying a beautiful glow of metals. The copper base is finished with anti-corrosive nickel plating, matching the overall industrial design and offering an outstanding heat transfer for the CPU. The central inlet design of the base enables the coolant to be distributed evenly through the 0.2 mm microchannels, achieving more effective heat dissipation. What's more, through the TT RGB Plus 2.0 software, you can simply monitor coolant temperature and customize the lighting effects of the water block's 12 addressable LEDs. To fit the latest CPUs, the Pacific SW1 Plus is also compatible with Intel LGA 1700 and AMD AM5 sockets and can be installed without additional brackets.

Intel at the 2023 InnovatiON event surprised audiences with a live demo of a reference notebook powered by a Core "Lunar Lake" processor. What's surprising about this is that "Lunar Lake" won't come out until 2025 (at least), and succeeds not just the upcoming "Meteor Lake" architecture, but also its succeeding "Arrow Lake," which debuts in 2024. Intel is expected to debut "Meteor Lake" some time later this year. What's also surprising is that Intel has proven that the Intel 18A foundry node works. The Compute tile of "Lunar Lake" is expected to be based on Intel 18A, which is four generations ahead of the current Intel 7, which will be succeeded by Intel 4, Intel 3, and Intel 20A along the way.

The demo focused on the generative AI capabilities of Intel's third generation NPU, the hardware backend of AI Boost. Using a local session of a tool similar to Stable Diffusion, the processor was made to generate the image of a giraffe wearing a hat; and a GPT program was made to pen the lyrics of a song in the genre of Taylor Swift from scratch. Both tasks were completed on stage using the chip's NPU, and in timeframes you'd normally expect from discrete AI accelerators or cloud-based services.

Intel at the 2023 InnovatiON event unveiled a 288-core extreme core-count variant of the Xeon "Sierra Forest" processor for high-density servers for scale-out, cloud-native environments. It succeeds the current 144-core model. "Sierra Forest" is a server processor based entirely on efficiency cores, or E-cores, based on the "Sierra Glen" core microarchitecture, a server-grade derivative of "Crestmont," Intel's second-generation E-core that's making a client debut with "Meteor Lake."

Xeon "Sierra Forest" is a chiplet-based processor, much like "Meteor Lake" and the upcoming "Emerald Rapids" server processor. It features a total of five tiles—two Compute tiles, two I/O tiles, and a base tile (interposer). Each of the two Compute tiles is built on the Intel 3 foundry node, a more advanced node than Intel 4, featuring higher-density libraries, and an undisclosed performance/Watt increase. Each tile has 36 "Sierra Glen" E-core clusters, 108 MB of shared L3 cache, 6-channel (12 sub-channel) DDR5 memory controllers, and Foveros tile-to-tile interfaces.

Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger, in the Q&A session of InnovatiON 2023 Day 1, confirmed that the company is developing 3D-stacked cache technology for its processors. The technology involves expanding the on-die last-level cache (L3 cache) of a processor with an additional SRAM die physically stacked on top, and bonded with the cache's high-bandwidth data fabric. The stacked cache operates at the same speed as the on-die cache, and so the combined cache size is visible to software as a single contiguous addressable block of cache memory.

AMD has used 3D-stacked cache to good effect on its processors. On client processors such as the Ryzen X3D series, the cache provides significant gaming performance uplifts as the larger L3 cache makes more of the game's rendering data immediately accessible to the CPU cores; while on server processors such as EPYC "Milan-X" and "Genoa-X," the added cache provides significant uplifts to memory intensive compute workloads. Intel's approach to 3D-stacked cache will be different at the hardware level compared to AMD's, Gelsinger stated in his response. AMD's tech has been collaboratively developed with TSMC, and hinges on a TSMC-made SoIC packaging tech that facilitates high-density die-to-die wiring between the CCD and cache chiplet. Intel uses its own fabs for processor dies, and will have to use its own IP.

As the world experiences a generational shift to artificial intelligence, each of us is participating in a new era of global expansion enabled by silicon. It's the "Siliconomy," where systems powered by AI are imbued with autonomy and agency, assisting us across both knowledge-based and physical-based tasks as part of our everyday environments.

At Intel Innovation, the company unveiled technologies to bring AI everywhere and to make it more accessible across all workloads - from client and edge to network and cloud. These include easy access to AI solutions in the cloud, better price performance for Intel data center AI accelerators than the competition offers, tens of millions of new AI-enabled Intel PCs shipping in 2024 and tools for securely powering AI deployments at the edge.

Intel Innovation 2023 -- Supermicro, Inc., a Total IT Solution Provider for Cloud, AI/ML, Storage, and 5G/Edge, is announcing future support for the upcoming 5th Gen Intel Xeon processors. In addition, Supermicro will soon offer early shipping and free remote early access testing of the new Systems via its JumpStart Program for qualified customers. To learn more, go to www.supermicro.com/x13 for details. The Supermicro 8x GPU optimized servers, the SuperBlade servers, and the Hyper Series will soon be ready for customers to test their workloads on the new CPU.

"Supermicro's range of Generative High-Performance AI systems, including recently launched GPUs, continues to lead the industry in AI offerings with its broad range of X13 family of servers designed for various workloads, from the edge to the cloud," said Charles Liang, president, and CEO, Supermicro. "Our support for the upcoming 5th Gen Intel Xeon processors, with more cores, an increased performance per watt, and the latest DDR5-5600 MHz memory, will allow our customers to realize even greater application performance and power efficiency for AI, Cloud, 5G Edge, and Enterprise workloads. These new features will help customers accelerate their business and maximize their competitive advantage."

ASUS today announced ASUS ExpertCenter PB63, a compact 1.35-liter mini PC powered by up to a 13th Gen Intel Core processor with Intel UHD graphics and able to support 46-65 watt CPUs. Dual PCIe Gen 4 SSDs and DDR5-5600 MHz memory ensure tasks are seamlessly and efficiently executed. PB63 offers triple-display support by way of its two DisplayPort connections and configurable port (DP / COM / HDMI / VGA / LAN), with additional connectivity options via eight USB ports. Plus, the ability to accommodate up to three storage drives add to this mini PC's versatility. The compact chassis is available in Black or White, and includes Stackable Optical Drive Module Support to accommodate the varying needs of businesses.

Desktop-grade performance
ASUS ExpertCenter PB63 is powered by the latest 13th Gen Intel Core processors with Intel UHD graphics, enabling this mini PC to easily handle any business task. It is able to support 46-65 W CPUs, making it ideal for organizations looking for supreme efficiency or maximum performance.

Intel today updated its ARK listings with two new networking chipsets: Wi-Fi 7 BE200 and Wi-Fi 7 BE202. The company unveiled IEEE 802.11be (Wi-Fi 7) specification-based chipsets despite the standard still needing final ratification. The Wi-Fi 7 standard promises data rates as high as 40 Gbit/s, with Intel's BE200 chipset using 2x2 TX/RX streams with 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz bands. However, as demonstrated by the adapter's maximum speed of 5 Gbit/s, real-world implementations might not initially reach the theoretical maximum speed. Various motherboards, like the upcoming Gigabyte Aorus Z790 Master X, are already planning to integrate this technology, showing that the industry is getting ready for a Wi-Fi 7 world.

What makes Wi-Fi 7 especially interesting is its raw speed and underlying technology designed to improve efficiency and capacity. Features like Multi-User Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MU-MIMO) and Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiple Access (OFDMA), which were introduced in Wi-Fi 6 and 6E, are mandatory in Wi-Fi 7. These technologies aim to optimize the overall performance of wireless networks, making them more suitable for bandwidth-intensive tasks like AR and VR. While full certification for Wi-Fi 7 is not expected until 2024, with widespread adoption to follow, the technology looks poised to become a significant aspect of our wireless future.

An Intel Core i5-14600K processor has been benchmarked roughly a month before its expected rollout at retail—previous leaks have this particular model placed as the most wallet friendly offering within a range of 14th Gen Core "Raptor Lake Refresh" CPUs. A total of six SKUs, with K and KF variants, are anticipated to launch on October 17. An official unveiling of new processor product lineups is scheduled for tomorrow at Team Blue's Innovation event. China's ECSM has managed to acquire an engineering sample (ES) of the aforementioned i5-14600K model, and put it through the proverbial ringer in Cinebench R23, Cinebench 2024, and CPU-Z. The brief report did not disclose any details regarding exact testbench conditions, so some of the results could be less than reliable/accurate.

ECSM's screenshot from CPU-Z re-confirms the Core i5-14600K's already leaked specs—six high-performance Raptor Cove cores running at a 3.50 GHz base clock, going up to 5.30 GHz (a 200 MHz gain over its predecessor: Core i5-13600K). Eight efficiency-oriented Gracemont cores running up to 4.0 GHz—100 MHz more than on the predecessor. The Core i5-14600K and i5-13600K share the same designations of 24 MB L3 cache and 125 W PBP—the leaked engineering sample was shown to have a core voltage of 1.2 V. The previous gen CPU operates on 1.14 V. ECSM noted that CPU package power consumption reached 160 W, and: "currently, the burn-in voltage is still quite out of control, especially for the two 8P models, both of which are at 1.4 V+. However, there is still a lot of room for manual voltage reduction."

What's New: Intel today announced one of the industry's first glass substrates for next-generation advanced packaging, planned for the latter part of this decade. This breakthrough achievement will enable the continued scaling of transistors in a package and advance Moore's Law to deliver data-centric applications.

"After a decade of research, Intel has achieved industry-leading glass substrates for advanced packaging. We look forward to delivering these cutting-edge technologies that will benefit our key players and foundry customers for decades to come."
-Babak Sabi, Intel senior vice president and general manager of Assembly and Test Development

QNAP Systems, Inc., a leading computing, networking and storage solution innovator, today launched the QGD-1600 16-port Gigabit smart edge switch/cybersecurity switch and QGD-1602 8-port 2.5GbE and 8-port Gigabit smart edge switch/cybersecurity switch. Besides adopting Layer 2 network management and software defined features, the QGD-1600 and QGD-1602 supports running VMs to deploy VPN, firewalls, and network management functions. ADRA NDR software is also supported to provide the widest cybersecurity protection for all the connected LAN devices at the access switch layer.

"Our QGD smart edge switches innovatively integrate the functions of NAS and switches and have received positive feedback from our users," said Alex Shih, QNAP Product Manager, adding, "the addition of the affordable non-PoE models QGD-1600 and QGD-1602 provides a cost-effective all-in-one network solution with cybersecurity software for enhanced LAN security, or running VMs for more software applications."

Thanks to the latest report from Phoronix, we know that Intel is working on supporting the latest "Xe2" graphics architecture for their upcoming Lunar Lake processors. Today, the latest enablement comes in the Mesa Linux drivers. By employing a new technique that allows for importing prior-generation XML files within the Intel Mesa driver code, Intel engineers have managed to streamline the overall file size. This is significant not just for the efficiency it brings but also because it signifies the beginning of work on enabling Xe2 graphics support. It suggests a thoughtful approach to building upon existing architectures, making it easier to adapt and evolve the software support for each new generation of Intel graphics.

Even though we are at the early stage and Lunar Lake is far away, the progress on Xe2 doesn't stop at Mesa driver changes. There is already some work at the kernel level, and new merge requests for draft compiler changes and shader compiler patches have also been spotted. This proactive development strategy positions Intel well in offering robust open-source graphics support for Linux, and it sends a strong signal to the developer community about Intel's dedication to the platform. After the Linux kernel driver works, this Mesa driver will enable better OpenGL/Vulkan API compatibility, so Lunar Lake arrives with proper software support.

To address customers' growing needs, Intel expanded its Intel Agilex FPGA portfolio and broadened its Programmable Solutions Group (PSG) offerings to handle the increased demand for customized workloads, including enhanced AI capabilities, and to provide lower total cost of ownership (TCO) and more complete solutions. These new products and technologies will be the focus of Intel's FPGA Technology Day (IFTD) on Sept. 18, where hardware engineers, software developers and system architects can interact with Intel and partner experts.

FPGAs play an important role in Intel's portfolio by offering flexible and customizable platform capabilities for demanding applications and workloads. Intel FPGAs solve customer challenges from cloud to edge with AI capabilities across silicon, IP and software. Intel's latest announcements illustrate how the company's increased investment in its FPGA portfolio is unfolding. So far in 2023, Intel has released 11 of 15 expected new products - more new product introductions than ever in Intel's FPGA business. As disclosed in its second quarter 2023 earnings call, Intel reported that its PSG business unit delivered 35% revenue growth year-over-year, marking the third consecutive quarter of record revenue.

Today HP Inc. redefined versatility with the HP Spectre Foldable PC, a remarkable 3-in-1 device with a foldable screen that seamlessly integrates the best features of a laptop, tablet, and desktop for the ultimate hybrid experience. "Consumers are demanding greater flexibility to connect, work, and play for their hybrid lives beyond what the traditional laptop can provide," said Jo Tan, Senior Vice President & Division President of Personal Systems Consumer Solutions, HP Inc. "We are excited to introduce the HP Spectre Foldable PC, designed to seamlessly adapt to the various ways you want to work with its unique, durable form factor that pushes the boundaries of design and technology."

Designed for Tomorrow's Hybrid Flexibility
The Spectre Fold easily transitions between the three distinct form factors for a frictionless user experience. Effortlessly switch from a traditional laptop to a slim tablet with a continuous 17-inch screen, then to a powerful desktop with a sleek built-in kickstand. This is made possible with a foldable panel and integrated hinge, designed for durability and tested with the same requirements as traditional HP laptops.

BIOSTAR, a leading manufacturer of motherboards, graphics cards, and storage devices today, proudly presents the all-new H610MHC-E motherboard designed for home entertainment and office use. The H610MHC-E motherboard brings a perfect blend of features ideal for office users who run basic tasks such as web browsing, managing emails, and handling office applications like Word, PowerPoint, and Excel. At the same time, home users will relish its capabilities for online entertainment. Enjoy watching TV shows and movies from platforms like YouTube or Netflix, listening to music, playing casual games, and more. Moreover, it's a perfect fit for Home Theater PC (HTPC) setups, allowing for streaming, gaming, live TV recording, internet browsing, and other basic tasks, all from the comfort of your living room.

Anchored on the powerful Intel H610 chipset, the H610MHC-E is primed to support the 12th and 13th-generation Intel Core Processors. With its 2-DIMM DDR4 slots, users are presented with flexible memory solutions that can scale up to an impressive 64 GB. Beyond memory, the H610MHC-E shines in connectivity—boasting cutting-edge PCIe 4.0 and PCIe 3.0 interfaces, a high-speed M.2 slot optimized with PCIe 3.0 x 4 support, and efficient SATA III connectors. This intricate combination ensures a fluid user experience and efficient data management.

Intel just released the latest version of Arc GPU Graphics Drivers. Version 101.4824 WHQL adds Game On optimization for "The Crew Motorfest" and "Mortal Kombat 1." Among the issues fixed with this release include flickering or display corruption noticed in Fortnite (DirectX 12), and erratic fan behavior on some Arc Graphics products. For Intel Core processor iGPUs, the drivers address a "Tactics Ogre Reborn" display flickering issue during the dialog sequences.

DOWNLOAD: Intel Arc GPU Graphics Drivers 101.4824 WHQL

Intel Innovation 2023 - September 13, 2023 - MiTAC Computing Technology, a professional IT solution provider and a subsidiary of MiTAC Holdings Corporation, will showcase its DSG (Datacenter Solutions Group) product lineup powered by 4th Gen Intel Xeon Scalable processors for enterprise, cloud and AI workloads at Intel Innovation 2023, booth #H216 in the San Jose McEnery Convention Center, USA, from September 19-20.

"MiTAC has seamlessly and successfully managed the Intel DSG business since July. The datacenter solution product lineup enhances MiTAC's product portfolio and service offerings. Our customers can now enjoy a comprehensive one-stop service, ranging from motherboards and barebones servers to Intel Data Center blocks and complete rack integration for their datacenter infrastructure needs," said Eric Kuo, Vice President of the Server Infrastructure Business Unit at MiTAC Computing Technology.

First, an enormous thank you to all of you playing Starfield and your support. We are absolutely blown away by the response and all you love about the game. We're also reading all your great feedback on what you'd like to see improved or added to the game. This is a game we'll be supporting for years and years to come, so please keep all the feedback coming! Even if we don't get to your requests immediately, we'd love to do it in the future, like city maps. Our priority initially is making sure any top blocker bugs or stability issues are addressed, and adding quality-of-life features that many are asking for.

This first update is a small hotfix targeted at the few top issues were are seeing. After that, expect a regular interval of updates that have top community requested features including:

• Brightness and Contrast controls
• HDR Calibration Menu
• FOV Slider
• Nvidia DLSS Support (PC)
• 32:9 Ultrawide Monitor Support (PC)
• Eat button for food!

Today, Intel announced Thunderbolt 5 - the next generation of Thunderbolt - and demonstrated a prototype laptop and dock. Thunderbolt 5 promises to deliver significant improvements in connectivity speed and bandwidth benefits for computer users.

"Thunderbolt 5 will provide industry-leading performance and capability for connecting computers to monitors, docks, storage and more. Intel is excited to continue our tradition of leadership for wired connectivity solutions. Thunderbolt is now the mainstream port for connectivity on mobile PCs, and delivering the next generation of performance with Thunderbolt 5 will provide even more capability for the most demanding users," said Jason Ziller, general manager of the Client Connectivity Division at Intel.

Intel Corporation today announced that it has agreed to sell an approximately 10% stake in the IMS Nanofabrication business ("IMS") to TSMC. TSMC's investment values IMS at approximately $4.3 billion, consistent with the valuation of the recent stake sale to Bain Capital Special Situations ("Bain Capital"). Intel will retain majority ownership of IMS, which will continue to operate as a standalone subsidiary under the leadership of CEO Dr. Elmar Platzgummer. The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2023.

IMS is the established industry leader in multi-beam mask writing tools required to develop advanced extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUV), which is broadly adopted in leading-edge technology nodes that enable the most demanding computing applications, such as artificial intelligence (AI) and mobile. Together, Bain Capital and TSMC's investments provide IMS with increased independence and reinforce confidence in the significant opportunity ahead of IMS. This added autonomy will help IMS accelerate its growth and drive the next phase of lithography technology innovation to enable the industry's transition into new patterning systems, such as high-numerical-aperture (high-NA) EUV.

FinalWire Ltd. today announced the immediate availability of AIDA64 Extreme 6.92 software, a streamlined diagnostic and benchmarking tool for home users; the immediate availability of AIDA64 Engineer 6.92 software, a professional diagnostic and benchmarking solution for corporate IT technicians and engineers; the immediate availability of AIDA64 Business 6.92 software, an essential network management solution for small and medium scale enterprises; and the immediate availability of AIDA64 Network Audit 6.92 software, a dedicated network audit toolset to collect and manage corporate network inventories.

The latest AIDA64 update introduces AVX-512 optimized benchmarks for Intel Sapphire Rapids processors, and supports the latest AMD and Intel CPU platforms as well as the new graphics and GPGPU computing technologies by AMD, Intel and NVIDIA.,

DOWNLOAD: FinalWire AIDA64 Extreme v6.92

Today, MLCommons published results of its MLPerf Inference v3.1 performance benchmark for GPT-J, the 6 billion parameter large language model, as well as computer vision and natural language processing models. Intel submitted results for Habana Gaudi 2 accelerators, 4th Gen Intel Xeon Scalable processors, and Intel Xeon CPU Max Series. The results show Intel's competitive performance for AI inference and reinforce the company's commitment to making artificial intelligence more accessible at scale across the continuum of AI workloads - from client and edge to the network and cloud.

"As demonstrated through the recent MLCommons results, we have a strong, competitive AI product portfolio, designed to meet our customers' needs for high-performance, high-efficiency deep learning inference and training, for the complete spectrum of AI models - from the smallest to the largest - with leading price/performance." -Sandra Rivera, Intel executive vice president and general manager of the Data Center and AI Group