Most chips in today's smartphones, computers, and servers are comprised of multiple smaller chips invisibly sealed inside one rectangular package. How those multiple chips—often including CPU, graphics, memory, IO, and more—communicate has been a challenge for circuit, chip, and packaging designers? Intel thinks they’ve got the answer with their EMIB (embedded multi-die interconnect bridge) which is a complex multi-layered sliver … Read more
GPU suppliers are expanding
It seems some PC suppliers are (just now?) discovering that people buy PCs and use them for different applications in addition to what the PC supplier promotes them for or how they are branded. Imagine! Some PC suppliers are betting the CAD market may become a new growth driver for the PC market. As a result, several tier-one suppliers have prepared … Read more
Intel has tried several times to get into the stand-alone graphics chip market. Its first attempt in 1982 was the cross-licensing of the NEC 7220, which became the Intel 82720. Then in 1983, Intel made the iSBX 275 Multibus-based add-in graphics board (AIB) with the chip. Its second attempt was in 1988 when it released the 82786, which it billed as … Read more
Everybody dance now: the Intel machine seems back on track Intel released their third-quarter results (see TechWatch, Intel Q3 2019 results) and reported record results. In the analyst call, Intel’s CEO Bob Swan said the company is on target to return to a schedule of major manufacturing upgrades every 2 to 2.5 years. In addition, Swan said, “We are on … Read more
While Intel struggles to get the yield on 10 nm up to acceptable levels, TSMC, which is already shipping 7-nm parts to AMD, Qualcomm, and others, has built a 5-nm fab and is now getting a site ready for a 3-nm fab. Europeans consider hair with a diameter of 0.04 to 0.06 mm as thin, hair with a diameter between 0.06 and 0.08 mm … Read more
Intel once envisioned a 2018 where 10-nm processors were shipping out of its fabs, followed by a subsequent introduction of a major new core microarchitecture. However, the company’s well-chronicled delays with 10-nm meant another “optimization” generation extending Skylake one more time on 14++ was in order to fill the gap. For the Core brand processors serving high-performance PC and Entry … Read more
Variable boost clocks help boost video blockbusters
HP has been pushing on design as well as technology to find their competitive niche. The company’s new consumer laptops with wood finishes are a delight to see and hold. Now comes the commercial version and along the way they’ve lost a little weight and gained some time. The new 13-inch Elite Dragonfly notebook weighs less than a kilogram (~ … Read more
Intel is bragging about their low-power consuming 10 nm, Gen 11 integrated GPUs in the new Ice Lake processors. And they should brag, look at all the stuff they’ve crammed into the Ice Lake. The company announced its Gen 11 integrated GPU in early August and now the company is shipping the Core processors that have the new GPU design. … Read more
Intel has launched its 10th Core processors (U- and Y-series) for thin-and-light designs claiming they offer scaling for demanding, multithreaded workloads, including the flagship built-for-business Intel vPro platform The 10thGen Intel Core mobile processors include connectivity with Intel Wi-Fi 6 (Gig+) and Thunderbolt 3 for fast wired and wireless speeds. The company said over 90 designs will be available … Read more
At Hot Chips 2019, Intel revealed new details of its upcoming AI accelerators: Nervana neural network processors, with the NNP-T for training and the NNP-I for inference. Intel engineers also presented technical information on hybrid chip packaging technology, Intel Optane DC persistent memory and chiplet technology for optical I/O. Intel’s vice president and general manager, for the Artificial Intelligence … Read more
