Intel Announces Core Ultra, Xeon Processors for PCs and Servers in Bid to Join AI Gold Rush

Intel Corp. on Wednesday unveiled its latest generation of processors for personal computers and servers, featuring a new architecture that aims to boost performance and efficiency for artificial intelligence applications. The new chips, branded as Core Ultra and Xeon, are based on the company’s 10-nanometer manufacturing process and use a design called Sonoma that allows for more flexibility and customization. Intel said the new processors can deliver up to 2.5 times the performance per watt compared to its previous generation, and up to 4 times the AI inference throughput. Intel is facing fierce competition from rivals such as Nvidia Corp. and Advanced Micro Devices Inc., which have been gaining market share and offering more powerful and energy-efficient chips for AI workloads. Intel hopes to regain its edge by leveraging its strength in PC and server markets, where it still dominates, and by offering a comprehensive portfolio of hardware and software solutions for AI. The company said the new Core Ultra processors will be available in early 2024 for laptops and desktops, and will support features such as Wi-Fi 6E, Thunderbolt 5, and PCIe 5.0. The new Xeon processors will be available in the second half of 2024 for data centers and cloud providers, and will support features such as DDR5 memory, CXL 2.0 interconnect, and Optane persistent memory. Intel also announced a new brand name for its discrete graphics cards, called Arc, which will compete with Nvidia and AMD in the gaming and creative markets. The first Arc products, codenamed Alchemist, will launch in the first quarter of 2024, followed by Battlemage, Celestial, and Druid in subsequent years. The company said it will reveal more details and specifications of its new products at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas in January 2024.