AI is a hot topic and covers a number of areas right now, however, the one that seems ready to replace and is already making a massive splash is the type of AI that average PC users have. From symbol manipulation to audio enhancement, it will offer rugged equipment that will make the PC even more applicable in the near future.
Antony: The opening of Fab 34 in Ireland is a milestone. What are Intel’s plans for the Fab in terms of what will be manufactured there in the short or long term and in the coming years?Is there anything express that is also done, such as the technologies and production processes used?
Dermot: I was born in Ireland, so the Fab 34 ad is very special as it’s in my hometown where I grew up. They are green fields, but now there is a factory there with the most complex generation on the European continent. It is the first site in Europe to use the EUV Extreme Ultra Violet generation to manufacture chips in high-volume manufacturing. So it’s a genuine breakthrough if you think about Moore’s Law and the desire to move the generation forward, and the EUV is a key component of that.
We’re building a new procedure there (Intel four), so we’re moving to a new node and anything that allows our customers, whether it’s a denser chip or a new technology. In the European context, Intel needs to solve the global supply chain. problems and locate the existing balance. Eighty percent of semiconductors are manufactured in a single region of the world and we’d like to see the industry have a more balanced footprint with respect to the supply chain issues we’ve seen. This, combined with our announcements about Germany and also the testing facilities in Poland, is an end-to-end supply chain in Europe.
Intel four will be used in Fab 3four and the first products to come out will be the Core Ultra processor, codenamed Meteor Lake and launching in December. That’s really vital for us and for PC enthusiasts who are looking to the future. , like PC AI, and what that will mean for everyone. The fact that it is manufactured in Europe is a sign of Europe’s position in Intel’s priorities.
Antony: Is Fab 34 any different from the former Intel factories in the US or Israel, either in terms of the generation used and the products manufactured?
Dermot: Intel four is a key milestone from our perspective, as we regain our leadership across the board and achieve our CEO’s goal of five new nodes in four years. Again, from a Moore’s Law perspective, the node will bring greater functionality and force efficiency, with Intel 3 being the next process, which will also be manufactured in Ireland.
Antony: What will this bring to the European semiconductor supply chain?
Dermot: It’s one more step in what’s needed to rebalance that source chain. Our consumers in Europe and across the global price chain are resilient and we do not need to return to the imbalances seen in the past. Fab 34 in Ireland along with the mega factory in Germany and especially if you think about the backend procedure in Poland in terms of assembly, testing and packaging. It now has state-of-the-art, end-to-end manufacturing. , leaving the true pads on the mainland.
There are older technologies that are doing the same thing lately, but this is the first of its kind on a giant scale with next-generation generation. What we say to our consumers is that we will continue to invest not only from a high-level generation perspective, but also from a supply chain resiliency perspective. There’s also the sustainability point of view. Our factories in Germany and Poland are only a few hours away and Ireland is also part of the European continent. This creates more sustainable production with a shorter supply chain for our consumers.
Antony: What is Intel’s situation in the UK and also in Europe?
Dermot: Intel has been present in the UK for over 40 years, lately we have over six hundred employees and our European headquarters are in Swindon and also in several other places. While we don’t have a factory there, we are participating in other spaces. such as the UK Atomic Energy Authority and the University of Cambridge in fusion energy studies or supporting startups through the Intel Ignite program, specifically in spaces such as software and artificial intelligence, as well as making a long-term investment through figuring out what the next generation of skills will be working with partners such as Imperial College London and Lenovo to tackle to those virtual skills gaps.
Intel’s empty Fab 34 room in Ireland
Antony: Are there specific demanding situations Intel is facing right now?We’ve clearly had Brexit here in the UK and the cost-of-living crisis, Covid and higher prices due to the war in Ukraine, which are also impacting a lot of spaces. as the current scenario in Israel.
Dermot: I think there’s been more disruption across the board than any of us could have predicted four or five years ago in terms of trade, supply lines, and geopolitical disruptions for all of those reasons. We are notoriously concerned about our colleagues in Israel, where we have a strong presence and where we have several Fabs and work with them a lot. When it comes to Covid, it has accelerated some of the virtual transformations we had noticed before the pandemic, but it has also invaded some people’s plans. . We’re still looking to figure out what the post-pandemic world will look like, however, there are a few things we rarely talked about those days. Factors such as sustainability (everyone is looking for how to address this issue) and AI and have an effect on businesses and society. These two topics are what our consumers are looking to use to help them.
Intel Meteor Lake processors will feature four Intel technology, new Redwood Cove PerformanceArray cores. [ ] and Crestmont Efficient cores.
Antony: Intel has an exciting year ahead with Meteor Lake, which has been in the news recently. What is the most recent version?
Dermot: Meteor Lake is an incredible generation when it comes to unlocking AI on a PC. We haven’t fully understood the innovation that this is going to generate. The ability to use AI on a PC without an Internet connection: how will it work? It will be reflected in the large number of other applications we use daily. It will transform the end-user experience – this generation added with Meteor Lake with a CPU, a GPU, and an NPU (neural processing unit for AI) – to have all of that in the hands of the end user – it’s an exciting time. I think it will revitalize the entire PC platform.
Antony: Can you tell us more about your key features and Intel’s hopes to usher in a new generation of processors?What can consumers expect in terms of benefits if they buy a computer with Meteor Lake, for example?
Intel Meteor Lake processors feature a dedicated, low-power AI engine or NPU, plus a new built-in CPU and graphics architecture.
Dermot: From an architectural standpoint, Meteor Lake, officially Intel Core Ultra Gen 1, is our biggest replacement in four years and the product that will drive the next decade of innovation. This is our first consumer processor built on Intel’s new four-procedure node. employing our high-performance three-dimensional hybrid architecture; this is the first customer-based slab design made imaginable thanks to Foveros packaging technology; and it’s our first consumer procedure to integrate an NPU, which will usher in a new generation of AI-powered PCs. That’s a lot of news!
This combination of architectural design technologies and production processes allows us to offer consumers a perfect blend of performance, energy efficiency, and AI-based functionality. No one else in the industry can do that.
But beyond the apparent benefits that Intel Core Ultra brings to consumers through features like longer battery life and formula responsiveness, it’s the product that ushers in a new era of AI-powered PCs for consumers. Intel Core Ultra NPU meets the need for high-performance, high-efficiency inference for emerging collaboration, content consumption, productivity, and long-term operational formula needs, while Intel Arc graphics meet the need for high-performance inference for gaming and creation. workloads.
Be sure to join us on December 14 at our AI Everywhere event – we’ll have a lot more to share about Intel Core Ultra and the benefits AI PC will bring to consumers.
Antony: We were hoping that Meteor Lake would come to the desk as well. Can you tell us why this hasn’t happened and what Intel’s plans are for desktops?For example, is the LGA1700 socket finally at the end of its useful life and what’s next?
Dermot: We recently introduced our 14th Gen Intel Core desktop processors. These are designed to deliver functionality in single-threaded or multi-threaded workloads, building on the functionality leadership of the high-functionality hybrid architecture that powers our 12th and 13th generation. Intel Core desktop processors.
First-generation Intel Core Ultra is an energy-efficient architecture aimed at cellular platforms. But it will also come with some compact desktop models, such as all-in-one (AIO). We will have more main points about the product for percentage soon.
Antony: Is there anything else consumers can expect in 2024?
Dermot: Again, sing at our AI Everywhere event on December 14th.
Antony: Does Intel have any announcements planned for CES 2024?
Dermot: While I can’t comment on express announcements, Intel will be at CES in full force for 2024. Michelle Johnston Holthaus, vice president and general manager of Client Computing Group, and Jim Johnson, executive vice president and general manager of Client Business Group. , will hold a press conference. Technology Conference & Exhibition on January 8th.
Intel also hosts other occasions at CES, adding keynotes from Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger, Lisa Spelman (CVP and GM), and Wei Li (VP and GM of Intel’s Data Center & AI Group); AI-focused sessions led by experts including Stacy Shulman (vice president of Intel’s Network and Edge Group) and Gadi Singer (vice president and head of emerging AI research at Intel Labs); and an Auto Tech session, moderated by Jack Weast (Vice President and General Manager, Intel Automotive).
I’d like to thank Dermot for taking the time to speak to Forbes and you can check out my recent reviews of the 14th Gen Intel processors here.