Intel at Computex 2024: Back in Black (and Blue)?
TAIPEI — There was a palpable energy at Computex 2024, a sense of excitement and anticipation that has been missingfrom the semiconductor industry in recent years. Pat Gelsinger, in his characteristic style, seized the moment, delivering a keynote address that was less about incremental updates and more about staking Intel’s claim in the burgeoning AI era.
Gelsinger's core message was clear: Intel is back. Back to process leadership, back to product innovation, and back to being the driving force behind computing's next act.
Reviving Moore’s Law (and Intel’s Fortunes)
The specter of Moore’s Law loomed large, as it always does when the future of computing is debated. Gelsinger, however, wasn't about to cede any ground to the naysayers (with a pointed jab at Nvidia's Jensen Huang). He doubled down, proclaiming Moore's Law alive and well, fueled by Intel’s ambitious roadmap of five nodes in four years.
This aggressive cadence, culminating in the imminent 18A node, underpins Intel's entire strategy. It's the foundation for their renewed focus on product excellence, from the data center to the edge and, most crucially, to the PC.
Xeon Flexes its Muscles in the Data Center
Intel knows its bread and butter remains the data center. Gelsinger showcased the new Xeon 6 with E-cores, highlighting its remarkable density and efficiency gains. The on-stage demonstration of a 6:1 rack consolidation was a powerful (and theatrical) reminder of Xeon's potential to redefine data center economics.
But it's not just about brute force. Intel is positioning Xeon as the platform for the AI-powered data center. The emphasis on RAG (Retrieval Augmented Generation) workloads, combining Xeon's processing power with Gaudi accelerators and open software frameworks, signals a multi-pronged strategy to address the evolving demands of AI.
Gaudi: The Disruptor Intel Needs?
Gaudi, Intel’s AI accelerator, took center stage as the challenger to Nvidia's dominance. Gelsinger hammered home Gaudi 3’s price-performance advantage, open ecosystem, and impressive benchmarks against Nvidia’s H100. The "wall of Gaudi 3," showcasing a growing ecosystem of partners, was a clear signal that Intel is serious about challenging the status quo in AI training and inference.
The AI PC: Intel's Second Wind?
Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of Gelsinger's presentation was the emphasis on the AI PC. Echoing the transformative impact of Wi-Fi, he positioned the AI PC as the next major inflection point in personal computing.
Intel is betting big on its Core Ultra and Lunar Lake platforms, promising a future where 48 TOPS makes AI seamlessly integrated into every aspect of the PC experience. The partnership with Microsoft is an early indicator of this vision coming to fruition. However slides comparing the power efficiency of Intel’s new chips to Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon X Elite were noticeably absent as x86 chips still can’t match ARM chips in performance-per-watt power curves.
At least now that the RAM is on package these new chips will see some power efficiency gains. However users will have to wait for Arrow Lake for expanded memory options.
The Ecosystem is Everything (Again)
Running through Gelsinger's entire presentation was a recurring theme: the importance of a collaborative ecosystem. From foundry partners like TSMC to OEMs like ASUS and Acer, Intel is working to foster an ecosystem that extends its reach.
The Bottom Line: Cautious Optimism
Intel's Computex showing was a much-needed shot in the arm for a company looking to reclaim its mantle as theundisputed leader in computing. The roadmap is ambitious, the partnerships are promising, and the products are showing real potential.
However, the road to redemption is paved with fierce competition and technological hurdles. Whether Intel can translateits vision into sustained market leadership remains to be seen. But one thing is clear: Intel is not going down without a fight.
Computex 2024 might just mark the beginning of a comeback story for the ages or the beginning of a new arc for Qualcomm. Or, it could be another chapter in the ongoing saga of the semiconductor industry's relentless cycle of innovation and disruption. Only time will tell.