Raja Koduri talks Intel Arc GPUs, XeSS and custom cards

In an interview with ASCII, Raja Koduri, senior VP and GM of accelerated computing systems and graphics group at Intel, shared more details about the upcoming Intel Arc architecture. Moreover, Raja commented on XeSS compatibility and Intel Arc support for high-end applications and the workstation market.

The interview conducted by ASCII (via Wccftech) covered various topics relating to Intel's upcoming graphics solutions, including Arc and Ponte Vecchio. When asked why Intel chose the TSMC N6 node instead of using something like Intel 7 node, Raja responded that Intel wasn't ready to mass-produce GPUs. Instead of fighting for capacity to produce both CPU and GPUs in the same foundries, Intel chose TSMC so it could keep focusing on mass-producing CPUs.

Raja also touched on XeSS, stating it would be compatible with Xe-LP GPUs, meaning that the currently available DG1 GPU and 11th Gen Core processors' iGPU will support the supersampling technology. On these GPUs, XeSS should use the less-efficient DP4a instruction instead of the more performant XMX. Moreover, he also hinted that Ponte Vecchio's Xe-Link, Intel's equivalent to Nvidia's NVLink and AMD's Crossfire, won't be supported by Arc gaming GPUs.

Additionally, Raja said we will likely see custom Arc cards from AIB partners. Some partners already have access to the reference designs and will sell them as they are, but custom cards are expected to launch eventually. Raja was also asked if Intel would release workstation graphics cards, to which he answered Intel Arc will support applications like 3DS Max, but he couldn't specify which SKUs would support such apps.

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KitGuru says: Would you like to see AIB partners launching Arc custom graphics cards? Do you think we'll see Arc workstation cards in the future?

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