Intel is going big on a new type of processor you’ve probably never heard of
Intel sets out an ambitious long-term roadmap for its IPUs
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
Intelhas unveiled a new roadmap for its infrastructureprocessorsfor the network and edge extending out to 2026.
At itsIntel Vision 2022event in Dallas,TechRadar Proand other media were told the company plans to deliver three new generations of infrastructure processing units (IPUs) within the next four years.
By the end of 2022, we can expect the previously announced Oak Springs Canyon FPGAs and Mount Evans ASICs to be shipped. This second-generation line-up will launch with 200GbE networking.
A little further down the line, Intel expects to follow up with third-generation IPUs (Hot Springs Canyon and Mount Morgan) with 400GbE, and a fourth generation boasting 800GbE, in line with the rising demand for bandwidth.
Intel IPUs
Speaking to press ahead of Vision, Patty Kummrow, CVP and GM of Network and Edge, described the opportunities unlocked by IPUs, the first of which werelaunchedby Intel last summer.
Broadly, the idea is to helpcloudand network providers free up CPU performance by offloading functions like storage and networkvirtualization, which also yields various security benefits. In essence, IPUs are almost identical to data processing units (DPUs).
“IPUs are fundamentally changing how the datacenter can be architected; they are a huge enabler for the changes we see and the evolution of the datacenter,” Kummrow said.
Are you a pro? Subscribe to our newsletter
Sign up to the TechRadar Pro newsletter to get all the top news, opinion, features and guidance your business needs to succeed!
“And we’re seeing a lot of demand and applicability for these devices beyond the hyperscale datacenters too, all the way out to the edge.”
Intel Arc desktop GPUs could be delayed by quite some time>Intel Sapphire Rapids leak offers sneak peek at specs and performance>Intel beefs up 500-acre mega factory
With the coming generations of IPUs, Intel expects to be able to help customers optimize their datacenter resources to an even greater degree and, by extension, increase their profitability.
The IPU roadmap announcement follows the launch earlier this year ofnew Intel Xeon D processorsfor network and edge use cases.
The chips are built on the company’s Ice Lake platform and feature integrated AI and crypto acceleration, built-in Ethernet and various other features that cater to common network and edge workloads.
At the time, Intel toldTechRadar Prothat the new chips deliver “breakthrough performance” across use cases such as security appliances, enterpriseroutersand switches,cloud storage, wireless networks, AI inference and edgeservers.
Joel Khalili is the News and Features Editor at TechRadar Pro, covering cybersecurity, data privacy, cloud, AI, blockchain, internet infrastructure, 5G, data storage and computing. He’s responsible for curating our news content, as well as commissioning and producing features on the technologies that are transforming the way the world does business.
Google puts Nvidia on high alert as it showcases Trillium, its rival AI chip, while promising to bring H200 Tensor Core GPUs within days
A new form of macOS malware is being used by devious North Korean hackers
Belkin’s Travel Bag for Vision Pro has pockets and is way cheaper than Apple’s own case
