Intel Xe-HPG DG2 GPU Shown in Public

Intel has made it no secret that it plans to enter the GPU market with a new lineup it calls “Xe” and will range from notebook to high-performance computing. This week, Intel showed off its GPU offering that it intends to compete directly with mid-range AMD Radeon and NVIDIA GeForce, the Intel Xe-HPG DG2 GPU.

Intel Xe-HPG DG2 GPU Shown

Intel has been showing its Xe architecture scaling to multiple market segments from HPC all the way down to the lower-end entry models.

At architecture day we saw some updates with the lower-end models making a debut. We also saw Intel Xe SG1 HP and DG1 at Architecture Day 2020 and how the new architecture would impact 11th Gen Core products.

This week, Intel showed off the Intel Xe-HPG DG2 which appears to be a 512 EU model and B0 stepping based on the package markings. This is up significantly since the previous Xe-LP GPU products were 96 EU models that really focused on the video transcoding markets.

As this eventually launches in PCIe GPUs sometime either in late 2021 (perhaps teased alongside an Alder Lake launch?) or in 2022, this will offer a third major chip supplier for GPUs. Still, there is a lot more than just making hardware, and Raja Koduri and the team at Intel know that all too well. NVIDIA and AMD have been making GPUs for a long time. While one could compare the DG2 to existing GPUs, the reality is that it will be shipping closer to next-generation offerings from NVIDIA and AMD than current-generation offerings.

Final Words

Seeing a chip packaged and allegedly running is a major milestone. As exciting as it is to see a GPU, now comes the perhaps more difficult part of getting it to market and getting adoption of the new line. Unlike startups trying to enter the GPU space, Intel has the budget to make a major push for a few generations in the consumer space.

Of course, at STH we are perhaps more excited for the Intel Xe HPC “Ponte Vecchio” with next-gen packaging. There we have an exascale GPU that uses, by the current count, 47 chiplets packaged together in that solution. Hopefully we get to see more of that solution soon.