Future Intel core chip to have Radeon graphics

Two of the biggest rivals in the chip industry Intel and AMD are teaming up to create chips small enough to fit in thin and lightweight laptops but powerful enough to run high-end video games.

They are developing a chip with an Intel Core processor and an AMD Radeon graphics unit, marking their first collaboration since the ‘80s. It’ll be part of Intel’s 8th-generation H-series of mobile processors, Intel and AMD told PCWorld. The chip will focus on power-managing the entire module for efficient battery consumption, which is fitting because it’s meant for ultra-thin laptops.

The chip is expected to ship as early as Q1 2018.The new chip is, of course, a joint project between Intel and AMD, but it was actually Intel who first approached AMD about the collaboration. AMD says the chip’s Radeon core will be a single, semi-custom design, in the same vein as the chips it provides to Xbox One X and PlayStation 4. Some more important details, like variants, remain undisclosed. Intel refers to the chip as a single product — for now, at least. Central to the chip is a tiny piece of silicon Intel began talking about last year: the Embedded Multi-die Interconnect Bridge, or the EMIB. They can connect silicon dies, which routes the electrical traces to the substrate itself. This results into what Intel calls a System-in-Package module. Essentially, EMIBs enable Intel to build a three-die model, which ties together the Intel Core chip, the AMD Radeon graphics unit, and high-bandwidth memory.

The chip actually serves a grander purpose than handshaking between Intel and AMD — taking on Nvidia.

Intel competes with Nvidia in driving artificial intelligence innovation for large tech firms, and it has reason to be alarmed: Nvidia is growing rapidly.

For several quarters, Nvidia’s chip sales have been up by triple digits from the previous year. For Intel, that means companies are flocking to Nvidia for chips they could get from Intel.

Intel and AMD’s joint chip effort gives Intel a shot at some of the revenue that usually goes to GPU sales while generating new profits for AMD. It gives Intel a chance to compete directly with Nvidia in the GPU market.