Struggling in several of its "historic" sectors, Intel is trying to broaden its horizons.
After the failure of the Larrabee project in 2009, Intel largely abandoned the world of graphics processors, contenting itself with the bare minimum in order to offer a graphics solution for its processors, in particular so that mini-PCs and other Intel-branded laptops could display something without a dedicated graphics card. However, aware that it had perhaps left the field too open to AMD and, above all, NVIDIA, Intel has decided to return to this highly technological sector. The Arc Alchemist GPUs, released in 2022, are the fruit of this new work by Intel's teams, and if the result was not able to really compete with AMD or NVIDIA, it's already a fine achievement after having been so long away from this sector of activity.
For heavy gamers, Intel Arc graphics cards don't have the necessary power and have to make do with the entry-level segment on our PCs while we wait for a more promising second generation - Arc Battlemage. That said, Intel's efforts have not been in vain, since the development of Arc Alchemist has boosted the graphics power of its mobile processors (intended for notebooks and mini-PCs). What's more, it has also opened up new markets and new horizons for Intel.
Jack Weast, Vice President and General Manager, Intel Automotive, August 8, 2024, Shenzhen, China © Intel
Jack Weast - Vice President and General Manager, Intel Automotive - recently announced the imminent arrival of a new chip, the Intel Arc A760A. Well, "new" is perhaps a bit strong, since it's mainly an Arc A750 boosted by a doubling of the associated memory capacity, from 8 to 16 GB of GDDR6. On the other hand, the purpose of this chip is quite different: it's to turn towards the automotive world and take advantage of the connected cars that are on the rise. To achieve this, Intel is counting on the artificial intelligence capabilities of its graphics chips, and has nothing but praise for its Arc A760A solution.
" Unmatched scalability: automakers can choose the Intel SDV SoC and later add an Intel discrete GPU to handle larger compute workloads and extend AI functionality with a unified instruction set that simplifies development.
Next-generation in-car experiences: Intel-optimized voice, camera and gesture recognition transforms vehicles into immersive mobile hubs. Thundersoft's demonstration showcased its next-generation cockpit user interface (UI) that transforms vehicles into immersive mobile hubs supporting seven high-definition screens displaying 3D graphics and six on-board cameras and interactive features. The new UI has also demonstrated its ability to simultaneously run popular AAA gaming titles while running AI-rich PC applications for intelligent mobile working.
Deep personalization: thanks to powerful AI algorithms that learn driver preferences, automakers can offer a highly personalized experience, adapting cockpit settings without voice commands. Zhipu's AI car assistant demonstrated the power of large-scale local language models (LLMs) running on Intel's computing platform. The demonstration highlighted the ability to execute complex vehicle control commands using natural language processing, accurately answer vehicle-related questions and even chat quietly with users, offering a more interactive and enjoyable journey.
Enhanced productivity, gaming and entertainment: automakers can transform the vehicle into a mobile office and entertainment center with immersive 4K displays, multi-screen configurations and advanced 3D interfaces.
Intel AI PC Accelerator Program: bringing together over 100 independent software vendor (ISV) partners who have created more than 500 AI features and applications, the accelerator program immediately provides an unrivalled ecosystem that can be leveraged within the vehicle."
That said, while Intel seems to believe in its chances of success, it should not be forgotten that there is already a great deal of competition in this sector: Tesla has its FSD Computer solution, NVIDIA its DRIVE platform and others (AMD, Qualcomm...) are also eyeing this market. What's more, this is just an announcement by Intel: actual availability doesn't seem likely for several months yet.
