Intel Unveils New AI PC Chips, Claims Dominance Over Qualcomm
Intel, facing recent criticism over its chip performance, launched its latest generation of Core Ultralaptop chips on Wednesday, a day when the US stock market saw a significant drop in the chip sector. These chips are designed to compete with Qualcomm and AMD inthe burgeoning AI PC market.
The key differentiator for Intel’s new chips is their support for the traditional x86 architecture, a departure fromthe ARM architecture used by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X series. The new Core Ultra 200V series consists of nine chips, all featuring an 8-core design (4 performance cores + 4 efficiency cores). The differences betweenthe chips lie in their maximum CPU boost frequency, GPU core count, and NPU engine count.
One notable feature of this generation is the integration of memory directly onto the chip, offering consumers a choice between 16GB and32GB of RAM. Intel has also removed hyperthreading technology, resulting in an 8-core 8-thread configuration for all chips.
Intel claims that its new chips outperform competitors, particularly Qualcomm, in terms of performance and power efficiency. The flagship Ultra 9 288V,for instance, achieves performance comparable to Apple’s M3 chip in multi-threaded tasks while consuming 40% less power than Qualcomm’s flagship X1E-80-100 chip.
However, Intel’s own performance charts reveal that the 8-thread Ultra 9288V lags behind previous generation Intel chips with 14 or 22 threads, as well as AMD’s 12-core 24-thread HX 370 chip, under high power conditions. This suggests that the Ultra 9 288V is best suited forlow-power scenarios.
In terms of graphics capabilities, Intel boasts that its chips deliver 68% higher frame rates than Qualcomm’s flagship AI PC chips at 1080p medium settings. It also highlights that numerous games are simply unplayable on Qualcomm chips. While the idea of using a high-end thin-and-light laptop for gaming might be considered a false need by some, Intel claims that its XeSS super-resolution technology allows for smooth gameplay in titles like Cyberpunk 2077 at 45fps.
Intel also emphasizes its AI performance superiority over Qualcomm.
The first laptops equipped with the new Core Ultra chips, from brands like Dell and Asus, are expected to be available for purchase on September 24th. However, given the mixed reception of previous chip launches from AMD and Qualcomm, many consumers are advised to wait for independent reviews before making a purchase.
The Verge, a prominent tech publication, highlighted issues with the real-world performance of AMD and Qualcomm chips earlier this year. While AMD’s chips failed to live up to their surpassing Apple claims, Qualcomm chips, despite their impressive battery life, struggled with gaming performance. A key question surrounding Intel’snew chips is whether they can maintain high performance levels when running on battery power.
Intel has confirmed that features like real-time subtitles and Microsoft Copilot Plus AI functionality will not be available at launch but will be rolled out as free updates starting in November.
For users seeking more cores and memory, Intelis rumored to be releasing its next-generation Arrow Lake chips in October.
The launch of Intel’s new Core Ultra chips marks a significant step in the evolving landscape of AI PC technology. While the company’s claims of dominance over Qualcomm need to be independently verified, the introduction of these chips promises to bringnew levels of performance and efficiency to the market.
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