Intel to Halt Production of Flagship Ponte Vecchio GPU

Intel has decided to cease production of its flagship Ponte Vecchio GPU, a graphic processing unit designed for high-performance computations. The company seeks to shift its focus on more competitive and in-demand AI accelerators, reports ExtremeTech.

Ponte Vecchio: An Ambitious Project

Introduced in 2019, Ponte Vecchio was hailed as the most advanced and complex chip ever produced by Intel. Its architecture consisted of 47 separate chiplets combined using EMIB and Foveros technologies. However, due to its exceedingly complex manufacturing process, it was only released to the market in 2023. By then, it had fallen behind its competitors Nvidia and AMD, who had already transitioned to new generations of AI and cloud computing-oriented chips.

Focusing on AI Accelerators and a New Flagship GPU

According to Serve the Home, Intel has informed its partners of its phased-out plan for Ponte Vecchio production. Instead, the company will concentrate its resources on developing the Gaudi 2 and Gaudi 3 accelerators which are AI-focused. Additionally, they plan to develop a new flagship GPU named Falcon Shores.

Anticipated Market Release

The Gaudi 2 and Gaudi 3 are expected to compete with Nvidia’s Hopper chips in the AI market. Set to replace Ponte Vecchio in the high-performance computations segment, Falcon Shores is expected to hit the markets in 2025.

A Hopeful Future

Despite a promising start, the Ponte Vecchio project ended for Intel as the company failed to launch a competitive product in a timely manner. However, with the Gaudi and Falcon Shores projects, Intel hopes to make up for this in the near future.