Intel’s discrete GPU era begins

Iris Xe Max for entry-level laptops launches.

Almost a year after showing off its alpha silicon, Intel’s first discrete GPU in over two decades has been released and is now shipping in OEM laptops. The first of several planned products using the DG1 GPU, Intel’s initial outing in its new era of discrete graphics is in the laptop space, where it is launching its Iris Xe MAX graphics solution. Designed to complement Intel’s Xe-LP integrated graphics in the new Tiger Lake CPUs, Xe Max will be showing up in thin-and-light laptops as an upgraded graphics option, and with a focus on mobile creation.

The company has continuously been coy about the product, but at a high level it’s been clear for some time that this was going to be an entry-level graphics solution suitable for use in smaller laptops. Based heavily on the integrated graphics in Intel’s Tiger Lake-U CPU, the Xe-LP architecture GPU is a decidedly entry-level affair. None the less, it’s an important milestone for Intel: by launching its first DG1-based product, Intel has completed a first step in its plans to establish itself as a major competitor in the discrete GPU space.

To cut right to the chase on an important question for our more technical readers, Intel has not developed any kind of multi-GPU rendering technology that allows for multiple GPUs to be used together for a single graphics task (ala Nvidia’s SLI or AMD’s CrossFire). So there is no way to combine a Tiger Lake-U iGPU with Xe Max and double your DOTA framerate, for example. Functionally, Xe Max is closer to a graphics co-processor – literally a second GPU in the system. As a result, Intel isn’t seriously positioning Xe Max as a gaming solution.

The launch of Intel’s Xe Max graphics and the DG1 GPU is an important step for Intel, but this is also a launch that strikes us as Intel having modest expectations. Xe Max is only being launched in a small number of laptops for now, and Intel is not seriously chasing the gaming market with its first discrete laptop part. None the less, it will be interesting to see what kind of traction Intel can get as a new player in the market.

“The company has continuously been coy about the product, but at a high level it’s been clear for some time that this was going to be an entry-level graphics solution suitable for use in smaller laptops.”