Intel plans to put a BIG GPU inside its Nova Lake-AX CPUs

Intel targets AMD and Nvidia with its Nova Lake-AX processors

It appears that Intel is going all-in with its integrated graphics technology in its upcoming “Nova Lake-AX” processors. By incorporating a large graphics chip into its next-generation mobile CPUs, Intel will counter both AMD’s Strix Halo processors and Nvidia’s upcoming N1 series CPUs.

According to @OneRaichu, a reliable leaker, Intel plans to give this processor eight P-cores, sixteen E-cores, and four LPE-cores. Additionally, it will feature an Xe3 graphics chip with 384 Execution Units (EUs). These parts will be fed using a 256-bit memory bus connected to LPDDR5X memory, which supports speeds of up to 9600/10667 MT/s.

Sadly, we can only speculate about the power of an Xe3 graphics card with 384 execution units. Xe2 GPUs have eight Execution Units per Xe core, though that isn’t guaranteed to be an aspect of Xe3. If that were the case, it would give this GPU 48 Xe cores, which is more than twice as many as Intel’s current-generation ARC B580 GPU. For context, Intel’s ARC B580 GPU has 20 Xe Cores.

(Post from @Raichu on Twitter/X)

With companies like AMD, Nvidia, and Apple making processors with large CPU and GPU components, it makes sense for Intel to follow suit. This is a major reason why Intel needs to keep investing in graphics. While Intel is only a small part of the discrete GPU market, integrated graphics performance will be vital for Intel moving forward. After all,  practically all modern productivity workloads require strong CPU and GPU performance. If Intel ignores the importance of graphics, it will fall behind Apple, AMD, and Nvidia. Intel can’t let this happen if it wants to remain relevant long-term.

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