Intel today introduced their 14th generation processor chip series, named Meteor Lake, specifically for laptop-class devices. With this series of processing chips, Intel demonstrated their ability to develop processing chips with brand new processes and features, including the introduction of built-in artificial intelligence technology.
This series of processing chips is built using the Intel 4 process (7nm) along with Foveros packaging technology which allows Intel to introduce a new CPU infrastructure that not only comes with greater performance, but also a much more efficient use of electrical power.
Intel's processing chips have previously been seen with designs that combine processing components (CPU die) that control processing tasks that require CPU power and also PCH components (PCH die) that house processes such as WiFi, USB, PCIe, Ethernet and so on. .
With Intel Meteor Lake processing chips, Intel has rethought how their processing chips operate, by separating different types of components into parts that require low power, and also those that require high power.
The Intel Meteor Lake processing chip now consists of four main components, namely SOC Tile (System on a Chip), Compute Tile, Graphics Tile and I/O Tile. These four parts are seen to display the same functionality as before, but with some interesting differences.
SOC Tile houses components such as Low Power E-Core (efficiency core), Neural Processing Unit for the purpose of artificial intelligence, Display, Imaging and Media components to activate parts such as display, move video, etc.
It also houses I/O components such as USB, WiFi, audio, Ethernet, PCIe and so on. This is done to move such "trivial" tasks away from the main processing components, and this is seen to show a more efficient use of power than before.
This also means that the background processes of the computer will all be taken care of by the SOC Tile part, and the Compute Tile component will be responsible for the processes that require higher computing power.
Just like the Graphics Tile part, the SOC Tile component will be responsible for the display activation task, so that the Intel Arc graphics chip used in this processing chip is used specifically for high-powered graphics purposes such as video processing or computer games.
Artificial intelligence is something that has been used a lot lately. With the NPU (Neural Processing Unit) chip built into this latest Intel Meteor Lake processing chip, users who take advantage of the technology use programs such as Stable Diffusion, it was found that the use of this NPU chip can not only reduce the time required to process objects or images quickly , but also at a lower energy consumption rate.
Audacity Riffusion was also shown, which is an audio composition software using artificial intelligence, and the processing done by this software to compose songs can be seen to be done in real time without any time delay.
It is seen that the NPU chip built into all of Intel's Meteor Lake processing chip offerings will have a positive impact on the professional creative industry, where it can automate tedious tasks, and give these individuals more time to spend searching for ideas. and new inspiration for their projects.
In terms of new technology, the Intel Meteor Lake processor chip series is seen to support technologies such as WiFi 6E and WiFi7, HDMI 2.1 and DisplayPort 2.1, a display with a resolution as high as 8K HDR with AV1 coding technology.
Apart from Thunderbolt 4, this processing chip also supports PCIe Gen5 technology, which for now, there is still no PCIe Gen5 SSD storage that can be used in laptops until next year. But when it does become available, Intel's Meteor Lake platform looks poised to take advantage of it.
Another new thing shown on this Intel Meteor Lake chip is the integration of DDR memory and also a memory controller, which Intel Meteor Lake comes with a SOC design similar to what Apple offers through their Apple Silicon M series used in the MacBook series of laptops the latest.
With increasingly creative laptop designs, the Intel Meteor Lake processing chip is seen to breathe new life into the laptop industry which is now seen coming up with ideas for brand new designs.
Laptops powered by Intel's Meteor Lake processing chips are expected to arrive around the end of this year, with hundreds of brand new designs, from thin and light and heavy productivity classes to be introduced throughout 2024.