Intel details Lunar Lake CPU architecture, shares AI strategy
Intel Xeon 6 processors were launched at AMD’s annual Computex event, as the company shared details about its AI strategy. Like Nvidia, Asus and other event attendees, the chipmaker also introduced its AI-led portfolio, including new hardware, data center innovation and AI accelerators to bring AI processing capabilities to servers. Notably, the company also shared details about its Lunar Lake Platform, explaining how the architecture will power AI-powered PCs. Intel also revealed pricing for its Gaudi 2 and Gaudi 3 AI accelerators.
Intel shares details of Lunar Lake architecture
To power the next wave of AI-enabled PCs, Intel last month announced its Lunar Lake CPUs as successors to Meteor Lake chipsets. During the ongoing Computex event, the chipmaker shared more details about its architecture.
There’s a new system-on-chip design that the company claims is three times larger and offers more than four times the performance of its AI accelerator. It’s also said to offer up to 14 percent faster CPU performance, 50 percent faster graphics performance, and up to 60 percent better battery efficiency compared to its predecessor.
Lunar Lake processors feature a fourth-generation Neural Processing Unit (NPU) capable of up to 48 tera-operations per second (TOPS) of AI performance. A new GPU design, codenamed Battlemage, significantly improves gaming and graphics performance, offering up to 67 TOPS of performance in AI content creation.
Other notable changes include an integrated 16GB of 32GB of LPDDR5X memory into the system instead of a separate memory stick. This means there is no option to plug in more RAM.
Intel Xeon 6 processors launched
Just six months after the launch of the 5th Gen Intel Xeon processors, the tech giant is now introducing the first Xeon 6 chipsets, including the Xeon 6 E-core and the Xeon 6 P-core. The Intel Xeon 6 E-core, also known as Efficient-core, is designed to deliver AI-focused performance with lower power consumption.
The P-core, on the other hand, offers higher performance outputs. These processors are intended for data centers to power server-based AI functions and AI computing for devices.
The Intel Xeon 6 E-core processors are available for purchase now, and the company will launch the Xeon 6 P-core processors in the third quarter of the year. Pricing was not disclosed.
Intel Gaudi 2, Gaudi 3 AI Accelerator Kits Pricing Announced
Intel also shared pricing details for its Gaudi 2 and Gaudi 3 AI accelerator kits, which the company has positioned as an alternative to Nvidia’s H100 chips. These AI accelerators are aimed at customers with heavy AI workflows and are said to offer performance improvements for training and inference tasks for leading open-source AI models.
According to the company, the Intel Gaudi 3 is a cluster of 8,192 accelerators that offer up to 40 percent faster time-to-train AI models compared to the H100 GPU clusters. The company found the figures during tests to train the Llama-2 70B AI model. Intel says inferencing is also faster with its accelerators.
The standard AI kit with eight Intel Gaudi 2 accelerators and a universal base board (UBB) is offered to system vendors at a price of $65,000 (approximately Rs. 54,33,100). The Intel Gaudi 3 with a similar setup is available for $125,000 (approximately Rs. 10,448,200).
