Computex 2024 is fast approaching, with the tech show due to kick off in earnest on June 4 this year at the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Centre in Taiwan. According to a press release from the Taiwan External Trade Development Council, Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger has been announced to be delivering a keynote on the first day of the event, showcasing Intel’s “next-generation data centre and client computing products”.
Hopefully, this might mean a look at Intel’s upcoming 15th-generation desktop CPUs, codenamed Arrow Lake. Information has been somewhat scarce regarding the yet-to-be-revealed chips in recent weeks, but thanks to some official statements and the occasional Twitter leak we’ve already gleaned some hints about what to expect.
The Intel CEO had already confirmed that we would see Arrow Lake CPUs later this year and that the next-generation chips will be built on Intel’s new 20A process node.
The new processors are expected to be an expansion of the Meteor Lake design, with multiple tiles stacked onto a common layer as part of the Foveros packaging system. Given the 20A node, Arrow Lake is also expected to make use of PowerVia, more commonly referred to as backside power delivery.
This essentially separates the input/output connections on the chip from the power lines so that power can be delivered from the back of the wafer. This new manufacturing method means that the transistors are now moved into the middle of the chip, with data connections kept on the front, resulting in higher potential clock speeds.
Intel’s Meteor Lake chips make use of an NPU or neural processing unit for machine learning operations, so given the focus on AI and AI PCs at this year’s show it would strike as an appropriate time to reveal a line of desktop chips including a CPU that Intel executive vice president Michelle Holthaus has said is “the world’s first gaming processor with an AI accelerator”.
What that all looks like in terms of chip architecture, we’ll be interested to find out.
There’s also the potential of some discussion or perhaps even a look at Lunar Lake, a low-power evolution of Intel’s Meteor Lake mobile CPUs. These chips have also been slated for a potential 2024 release, so there’s a tantalising possibility that both might make an appearance.
By the looks of it, Intel may well have plenty of new products to pick from to showcase at the event, although which end up being showcased on the day remains to be seen.
Regardless, with a speaker line-up including representatives from Qualcomm, MediaTek, NXP, and Supermicro, along with AMD CEO Dr. Lisa Su delivering the opening keynote, we’re sure there’ll be lots to discover and discuss when the show officially kicks off in three months.