Fab 42: Intel gives you a rare look behind the scenes

american magazine cnet Had the opportunity to take a look at Intel’s modernized Fab 42 in Arizona and take interesting photos of various chips such as Meteor Lake, Ponte Vecchio and Sapphire Rapids. This resulted in recordings showing test chips from the “Intel 4” node, among other things.

Next generation chips in pictures

In Fab 42, which Intel calls ASH (“Automated Superhighway”), chips for the next generation of server processors from the Xeon series of data centers under the code name Sapphire Rapids are manufactured in “Intel 7” nodes, which are said to be It is said that there are four CPU tiles per package and 15 cores per CPU tile which communicate with each other via EMIB.

In the first half of 2022, Xeon processors based on Sapphire Rapids are expected to offer 60 cores in a single package. For example, Dell will deliver the first systems with Sapphire Rapids, which are used to simulate nuclear weapons, for new US supercomputers from 2022. The system is to be continuously expanded until 2025 and eventually offer 40 petaflops of performance.

CNET was also able to take related photos of individual chip sets for Sapphire Rapids running off the production line. This possibility is quite interesting for CPUs, which are known, among other things, from mainboard production, where various additional chips are always “off the roll” for the circuit board.

Intel Core i-14000 in the Builder

CNET was also able to photograph the first test chips of the 14th generation of the Core i series aka Meteor Lake, which rolls off the production line in Arizona in the “Intel 7” production process.

This is not the first time that Intel has been very open about the 14th generation of Core processors and has already limited the TDP range from 5 to 125 watts and previously revealed details about the devices.

Here too, Intel will rely on Tiles and eventually build a multi-chip CPU using Fowros and EMIB. In line with this, the first photos were already available in July, a wafer containing pure CPU tiles from Meteor Lake, one of the original composition of Fovros. These are not yet functional solutions, but test models that focus on the connection of the foveros and the packaging process, i.e. merging all the small parts into a single overall structure.

Meteor Lake is expected to follow as the Core-i-14000 on Raptor Lake in 2023, with the Intel Core i9-12900K (tested) on top on the desktop, a refresh of the current-generation Elder Lake and the manufacturer’s new hybrid era. continue.

Ponte Vecchio for AI and Exascale

Intel’s HPC graphics solution Ponte Vecchio will be a monster with FP32 performance of over 45 teraflops. Eleven EMIB connection elements take care of communication in the 2D level, then Fowros takes over in the third dimension. In addition, bandwidths of up to 5 terabit/s (“memory fabric”) or 2 terabit/s (“connectivity”) are unique across individual regions.

In March of this year, Intel demonstrated its XPU for AI and ExaScale, whose chips CNET was now capable of photographing even in the Fab 42.

Europe’s exascale supercomputer, being built by French developer Sipiral, is expected to rely on the Ponte Vecchio in addition to ARM CPUs with NeoVerse V1 cores and HBM2e from 2023, and thus the Aurora supercomputers to follow. Will deliver up to 2 exaflops. To enter the field of ZettaFLOPS for the first time in early 2027. The chipotle design from Ponte Vecchio was first shown in January, and CNET’s photos are no less impressive.

Intel Foundry IDM 2.0 Al Service

In March of this year, Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger announced how Intel would position itself in the future. At the forefront is the expansion of semiconductor production, with Intel investing a total of US$20 billion, building two new factories and upgrading the fab in Ireland to 7nm.

As part of Intel Foundry IDM 2.0, Fab 42 in the US state of Arizona, which already employs about 12,000 people, is being expanded. There are also two new buildings, Fab 52 and Fab 62.

Intel Foundry IDM 2.0 is also designed as a service to other manufacturers, for example Qualcomm relying on chips in the Intel 20A (“2 nm”) production phase, which may be available from 2024 and for Will use Get All Around (GAA). first time.