How Intel handles global chip shortages, Arc GPUs for PC builders, etc: Interview with Gregory Bryant

In Part 1 of our interview Together with Gregory Bryant, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Customer Computing Group, Intel, we got some insight into the thought process to develop the next generation ‘Alder Lake’ CPU family. 12th, introducing different types of CPU cores to popular PCs and laptops for the first time. He also talked about the advancement of entry-level CPUs for affordable PCs, as well as what we can expect from the emerging foldable laptop segment.

Our conversation takes place on the sidelines CES 2022, shortly after Bryant announced a massive roster of New 12th Gen CPUs for entry-level PCs and high-end laptops, as well as updates on the Intel Evo and GPU Arc certification programs. We were able to edit every detail one by one. Bryant also talked about the challenges of the current global semiconductor supply shortage and the impacts of the pandemic on supply and demand.

Gadgets 360: In light of the current chip shortages, how will things play out over the next year or so for Intel, both in terms of the CPUs you’re manufacturing in-house and the GPUs you’re using in services. outside service?

Gregory Bryant: Pat Gelsinger, our CEO, was noted to say that we think there will still be Supply chain constraints to 2022. There are various small components – many of them on legacy nodes, not even on the latest technology – that are really the most restrictive and that is more turns Our customer shipping their products. So we continue to work with the supply chain in the industry. Some of that is just market forecasting, although I think it will get better over time.

When you switch to Intel in particular, we are in very good shape. Our team has done an incredible job delivering CPUs, chipsets, Wi-Fi, Thunderbolt… you can imagine all the components we build! Our team is working with both internal and external suppliers to provide our products to customers.

The CPU supply increases every year; solidified into double-digit territory. Giant invest in capacity and supply [have been made] on my part and I do not limit the ability of the customer to deliver today; it’s really about these small components and inheritance. I feel satisfied with our situation. We are also working with third parties in their capacity. But like I said, overall, I think there are still some supply chain constraints for components next year that we’re going to have to deal with.

Intel has announced that Arc GPUs have been shipped to OEMs who will be launching new laptops and PCs soon.

Gadgets 360: On the GPU side, there’s a demand problem as well as supply issues, and Intel has stated previously with Gadgets 360 that Arc GPUs will not have any hardware or software to prevent mining. Do you think you’ll still be able to hit reasonable volumes when they’re ready to launch?

Bryant: We have a strong demand for GPU Arc. You’ve seen the products and 50 design wins across mobile and desktop were announced on stage at CES. Yes, I feel like we will be able to ship millions of units with reasonable supply.

Gadgets 360: We also heard during the presentation about Deep Link and how laptop/desktop OEMs can manage heat and power, and enable benefits like simultaneous video encoding . Are these features relevant to do-it-yourself PC builders and retail Arc graphics card enthusiasts? What kind of experience can you expect with Arc + Core compared to other manufacturers’ CPUs? What about previous generation Core CPUs and motherboards?

Bryant: Many of our Deep Link features will work on both mobile and desktop with Arc graphics, but there will be some differences as well. For example, the ability to manage power distribution between CPU and GPU is not impossible but is certainly more complex in the desktop space due to differences in motherboards, memory, coolers, etc. Other features such as Hyper Encode will be able to work as long as the CPU Core in the machine has the appropriate capabilities enabled. Our plan is to bring as much of Deep Link’s goodness to all Arc users as possible, but there will be some platform differences.

Intel’s Evo certification criteria have been updated for the next generation of premium laptops

Gadgets 360: How are things going in terms of consumer behavior with the pandemic? We think we’ll be back to normal around this time, but it looks like it’ll be a long-term work-and-life situation. Is that starting to affect your roadmap and product design philosophies and decisions for the future?

Bryant: Yes, absolutely. We talked about Key Experience Indicators, which is how we shape our path. A very obvious example is the specifications of the third generation Evo. We’ve added smart collaboration capabilities because we all spend time on video calls. It’s not just about performance and multitasking, it’s also about using AI and machine learning to perform eye correction and noise removal. We can do all sorts of things to make this experience better.

I get asked a lot about the PC market and demand as a result of the pandemic and there are still some people who think, “Hey, this cycle is really just a refresh of the older PCs” and we’re going back to the “normal” pre-pandemic era. level of need. I think if you look at the use of PCs by students in the education industry; the way people are changing the way they work; I believe hybrid jobs mostly here to stay. So when we planned the route in terms of the experience as we do on our Evo platform, it really changed everything.

I think technology can play an important role in the new normal; in trying to help people work, learn, play, collaborate, and communicate with their loved ones. Going forward, it’s up to us to make the experience the best we can.

Gadgets 360: You announced that the H-series [45W mobile] CPU is now part of Evo Parameters. Does that mean there will be different levels or segments? How will the third generation Evo differentiate from the second, will there be “Evo for gamers” and “Evo for creators”?

Bryant: We’re not tiered, from a badge point of view. Had options in previous specsand OEM may target different optimization points. They can make a choice about the performance and battery life they want to deliver. It is not one size fits all; there are over 100 Evo designs and more coming soon. So all we’re doing now is putting into this spec a use of H-series processors and Arc discrete graphics. There will be more choices. Evo with discrete graphics and H-series processors will make great sense for some people. I don’t think we have to literally call it “Evo for Creators” on the badge.

Read Part 1 of the interview with Gregory Bryant.

Some of the answers have been slightly edited for clarity and length.