Wednesday, November 13th 2019

7nm Intel Xe GPUs Codenamed "Ponte Vecchio"

Intel's first Xe GPU built on the company's 7 nm silicon fabrication process will be codenamed "Ponte Vecchio," according to a VideoCardz report. These are not gaming GPUs, but rather compute accelerators designed for exascale computing, which leverage the company's CXL (Compute Express Link) interconnect that has bandwidth comparable to PCIe gen 4.0, but with scalability features slated to come out with future generations of PCIe. Intel is preparing its first enterprise compute platform featuring these accelerators codenamed "Project Aurora," in which the company will exert end-to-end control over not just the hardware stack, but also the software.

"Project Aurora" combines up to six "Ponte Vecchio" Xe accelerators with up to two Xeon multi-core processors based on the 7 nm "Sapphire Rapids" microarchitecture, and OneAPI, a unifying API that lets a single kind of machine code address both the CPU and GPU. With Intel owning the x86 machine architecture, it's likely that Xe GPUs will feature, among other things, the ability to process x86 instructions. The API will be able to push scalar workloads to the CPU, and and the GPU's scalar units, and vector workloads to the GPU's vector-optimized SIMD units. Intel's main pitch to the compute market could be significantly lowered software costs from API and machine-code unification between the CPU and GPU.
Image Courtesy: Jan Drewes
Source: VideoCardz
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50 Comments on 7nm Intel Xe GPUs Codenamed "Ponte Vecchio"

#2
notb
Seriously... a news piece about a system that may finally unify CPU and GPU interfaces, but all it gets from TPU community are 2 posts joking about a name. That's just epyc.
Posted on Reply
#3
Space Lynx
Astronaut
notbSeriously... a news piece about a system that may finally unify CPU and GPU interfaces, but all it gets from TPU community are 2 posts joking about a name. That's just epyc.
Enjoy your 70 security fixes that will occur bi-monthly.

Intel has lost my trust personally. I have never seen so many security vulnerabilities in my life.

Another new one, Xombieland V2 was announced yesterday, and Intel announced 70 security patch fixes incoming. lol how many times this year now? wow... Ryzen... none needed... since launch lol
Posted on Reply
#4
The Egg
So when they’re trying to sell companies Xe to go with their Xeons, I’m sure that won’t be confusing for anyone.
Posted on Reply
#5
R-T-B
lynx29Enjoy your 70 security fixes that will occur bi-monthly.
Meh, if they redesign it from the ground up it should be better off than Ryzen.

The real question is: will they?
lynx29wow... Ryzen... none needed... since launch lol
Spectre v2. Not many admitedly, but not "none" either.
notbSeriously... a news piece about a system that may finally unify CPU and GPU interfaces, but all it gets from TPU community are 2 posts joking about a name. That's just epyc.
I mean, how else are people going to spin this into a brand war where intel looks bad?
Posted on Reply
#6
the54thvoid
Super Intoxicated Moderator
Ponte Vecchio. Or, "Old Bridge".

See the link? Ivy, Sandy.... It's another bridge.

Will be interesting to see how much of it is Intel DNA and how mush is Koduri Radeon DNA...
Posted on Reply
#7
ratirt
R-T-BI mean, how else are people going to spin this into a brand war where intel looks bad?
Don't get me wrong here but it does look bad despite the war you've mentioned.


Anyway, I thought Intel was working on a Graphics card for games and honestly I been waiting for this. I think it is some sort of iteration of the previous attempts for Intel like the Xeon Phi and Larrabee. maybe it is a combination of the two now although this Xe is kinda like a Xeon Phi to me though.
Posted on Reply
#8
dicktracy
CPU has reached to the point where it no longer matters for gaming. Intel’s entrance to high performance GPU is much welcomed.
Posted on Reply
#9
Capitan Harlock
KhonjelPon-tey Ve-chi-o
NOPE , if you wanna say Ponte Vecchio you say it Ponta Vakkio for doing the right pronunciation because of how english speaking says letters .
I'm italian so i know better i suppose.
Anyway, back to the topic , is funny how their gonna call it when right now Venice is floading .
Is gonna be a fail?
Posted on Reply
#10
ncrs
So this starts looking more and more like a Larrabee/Xeon Phi-level failure? Mentions of x86, only for compute, no gaming so far...
Posted on Reply
#11
londiste
In addition to CLX Videocardz says Intel's slide deck talks about Foveros, Ultra-high cache, high memory bandwidth and high double-precision FP throughput.
Also that Xe will be in gaming segment but not the Aurora (and probably not the exact dies used in Aurora).
Posted on Reply
#12
Chomiq
Capitan HarlockNOPE , if you wanna say Ponte Vecchio you say it Ponta Vakkio for doing the right pronunciation because of how english speaking says letters .
I'm italian so i know better i suppose.
Anyway, back to the topic , is funny how their gonna call it when right now Venice is floading .
Is gonna be a fail?
Maybe it's a scam like that whole "let's defend Venice from flooding" gig that's been going on since 2006.
Posted on Reply
#13
Space Lynx
Astronaut
R-T-BMeh, if they redesign it from the ground up it should be better off than Ryzen.

The real question is: will they?



Spectre v2. Not many admitedly, but not "none" either.



I mean, how else are people going to spin this into a brand war where intel looks bad?
While I agree with your comments here, I just am very distrusting of Intel. The Intel Management Software... shady stuff... I believe I read one time there was even a hidden BIOS discovered on the CPU chip itself. Not sure how much truth to it though.

I may me wrong, but didn't you spend a lot of time "hacking" Intel cpu to get rid of the management software? Maybe I am reading it wrong. I mean I don't have to mess with Ryzen at all.
Posted on Reply
#14
my_name_is_earl
AMD pretty much gave up on competing with NVIDIA for the crown as far as I can tell. Need Intel to step up their game.
Posted on Reply
#15
Vya Domus
"Project Aurora" combines up to six "Ponte Vecchio" Xe accelerators with up to two Xeon multi-core processors based on the 7 nm "Sapphire Rapids" microarchitecture, and OneAPI, a unifying API that lets a single kind of machine code address both the CPU and GPU. With Intel owning the x86 machine architecture, it's likely that Xe GPUs will feature, among other things, the ability to process x86 instructions. The API will be able to push scalar workloads to the CPU, and and the GPU's scalar units, and vector workloads to the GPU's vector-optimized SIMD units. Intel's main pitch to the compute market could be significantly lowered software costs from API and machine-code unification between the CPU and GPU.
Oh man they just simply don't want to give up on Larabee and Xeon Phi, in turns Xe was just another go at those under disguise all this time. It's amazing after all of these failed attempts they still don't want to accept the fact that it's not feasible to have vastly different hardware execute code that's supposedly interchangeable between the two without any major trade-offs.

This bizarre fetish for heterogeneous computing Intel has above all else needs to stop or it will continue to ruin everything they do related to these things. I know why they do this, Nivida really screwed them up in recent years and took a lot of potential customers from them and they had no way to respond to any of that but this isn't the way to do it.
Posted on Reply
#16
Mirkoskji
Capitan HarlockAnyway, back to the topic , is funny how their gonna call it when right now Venice is floading .
Is gonna be a fail?
XD the bridge is in Florence, not Venice.

How is it that all CPU producers are focused on nomenclature with italian locations in this period
Posted on Reply
#17
Uroshi
Capitan HarlockNOPE , if you wanna say Ponte Vecchio you say it Ponta Vakkio for doing the right pronunciation because of how english speaking says letters .
I'm italian so i know better i suppose.
Anyway, back to the topic , is funny how their gonna call it when right now Venice is floading .
Is gonna be a fail?
I guess the most famous "Ponte Vecchio" is in Florence. Where all the butchers were moved ... before being replaced by luxury shops. On the other hand, sad thing about Venice being flooded considering all the money spent trying to prevent floods.

Returning in topic. This looks like a mix of Larrabee and Vega ... can Intel with all its money really fail with this project? There are some precedents like P4, Itanium, Larrabee, 10nm (let's remember here that 14nm was also delayed and they said at the time that wouldn't affect 10nm which was awesome and in time; similarly as they are now saying 7nm is awesome and imminent)
Posted on Reply
#18
GlacierNine
lynx29Enjoy your 70 security fixes that will occur bi-monthly.

Intel has lost my trust personally. I have never seen so many security vulnerabilities in my life.

Another new one, Xombieland V2 was announced yesterday, and Intel announced 70 security patch fixes incoming. lol how many times this year now? wow... Ryzen... none needed... since launch lol
Spectre had several variants that affected AMD parts. There was also that CTS Labs hit-piece against AMD, which while massively overblown and stupid, did actually spring up around several genuine security vulnerabilities.

That's not to say Intel isn't being hit around the face with far MORE, and far more SERIOUS vulnerabilities - theirrecent track record is pretty dire, after all. But to try and claim AMD aren't being hit with anything is just wrong at best, and a lie or outrageous fanboying at worst.

Don't create misinformation. TPU reported all of these things and you should know better if you've been following the news feed.
Posted on Reply
#19
Turmania
I do not think Intel can compete with Nvdia at release since considering Ampere will be out in 7nm process.but it is very likely to see Intel sit at 2nd place above AMD in GPU segment from release.
Posted on Reply
#20
EarthDog
I'm wondering where the gaming GPU is, personally.
GlacierNineSpectre had several variants that affected AMD parts. There was also that CTS Labs hit-piece against AMD, which while massively overblown and stupid, did actually spring up around several genuine security vulnerabilities.

That's not to say Intel isn't being hit around the face with far MORE, and far more SERIOUS vulnerabilities - theirrecent track record is pretty dire, after all. But to try and claim AMD aren't being hit with anything is just wrong at best, and a lie or outrageous fanboying at worst.

Don't create misinformation. TPU reported all of these things and you should know better if you've been following the news feed.
Looks at my avatar... chuckles...
Posted on Reply
#21
Mirkoskji
UroshiOn the other hand, sad thing about Venice being flooded considering all the money spent trying to prevent floods.
Mose (the dams to prevent flooding of Venice) was a derailing project from the beginning. I think I was 8 years old when they started talking about that in television. It became a joke quite instantly.
Corruption was the main feature from the start. More than 20 years later they started admitting that probably all the billions spent and the components installed may be useless.
Posted on Reply
#22
ratirt
TurmaniaI do not think Intel can compete with Nvdia at release since considering Ampere will be out in 7nm process.but it is very likely to see Intel sit at 2nd place above AMD in GPU segment from release.
Intel is not competing with NV with its Xe GPU for desktops cause I assume that is what you have in mind. BTW the next graphics from NV will not be called Ampere for sure.
MirkoskjiMose (the dams to prevent flooding of Venice) was a derailing project from the beginning. I think I was 8 years old when they started talking about that in television. It became a joke quite instantly.
Corruption was the main feature from the start. More than 20 years later they started admitting that probably all the billions spent and the components installed may be useless.
So they have spent so much cash and Venice is going to be flooded anyway or was it just a scam to get cash build something and ditch it?
Posted on Reply
#23
micropage7
if they release it as accelerator for like 3D or photoshop or creative stuff, it would be interesting
Posted on Reply
#24
Mirkoskji
ratirtSo they have spent so much cash and Venice is going to be flooded anyway or was it just a scam to get cash build something and ditch it?
It's a "let's keep the project up as much time as possible while the budget increases tenfolds or more and have problems all the way trough, so we get new funding" approach.
one of the latest problem was that metal junctions of the dams are affected by corrosion due to salty water (who could've imagined that eh...). If i remember well they cheaped out on junctions and soldering materials. Also they discovered that while the dams are active, debris fill the space where they should fold while unactive (sand and sea, who could have imagined again). Moreover, the entire build of the dam needs so much maintainance that will be so economically unsustainable that it will probably ditched in the end. It is basically a legalized scam, funded with public money with the excuse of job creation and industry boosting.
Posted on Reply
#25
ratirt
MirkoskjiIt's a "let's keep the project up as much time as possible while the budget increases tenfolds or more and have problems all the way trough, so we get new funding" approach.
one of the latest problem was that metal junctions of the dams are affected by corrosion due to salty water (who could've imagined that eh...). If i remember well they cheaped out on junctions and soldering materials. Also they discovered that while the dams are active, debris fill the space where they should fold while unactive (sand and sea, who could have imagined again). It is basically a legalized scam, funded with public money with the excuse of job creation and industry boosting.
Come to think of it when you say. It has been done on purpose. I don't believe there are people that dumb.
micropage7if they release it as accelerator for like 3D or photoshop or creative stuff, it would be interesting
It has been said for server market so why not 3d photoshop editing as well.
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