Intel's Visual Computing Group Wants To Give Us 16 Core GPUs

Intel's Visual Computing Group (VCG), a new entry into the graphics arena, recently went over its roadmap for the next few years with the press and revealed that the company is looking to release a new graphics solutions to compete NVIDIA and ATI as early as 2008/2009. VCG wants to produce a GPU based on as many as 16 cores in a single die working together to provide the best gaming experience possible.

Intel's Visual Computing Group (VCG) gave an interesting overview of the discrete graphics plans this week. There seems to be a few interesting developments down the pipeline that could prove quite a challenge to NVIDIA and AMD in 2 years time. As already stated on their website, the group is focused on developing advanced products based on a many-core architecture targeting high-end client platforms initially. Their first flagship product for games and graphics intensive applications is likely to happen in late 2008-09 timeframe and the GPU is based on multi-core architecture. We heard there could be as many as 16 graphics cores packed into a single die.

It is speculated that Intel's VCG will be developing its GPU to take advantage of 35nm fabrication process, which makes sense since by 2008/2009 Intel plans to be ready to produce it's CPUs at the 35nm level as well. Using 35nm die sizes is probably the only way to realistically attain the goal of implementing as many as 16 cores in one die so the fact that it will be a few years before we see any hardware from VCG sounds about right. Read more ...