Intel begins a treasure hunt dedicated to the Xe-HPG GPU
For starters, Intel posted the Xe-HPG microarchitecture teaser video on Twitter, where it is emphasized that Xe -HPG is both an evolution and an extension of the Xe-LP architecture. There are also three encrypted messages which, if decoded, lead to https://xehpg.intel.com, a website dedicated to treasure hunting, and to a couple of coordinates - 79.0731W and 43.0823N - which indicate a point to the west of Goat Island overlooking the Niagara River, known worldwide for its waterfalls.
Intel tends to give unannounced products code names typically related to various geographic locations, such as cities, islands or rivers. Keeping in mind that Intel's fourth and fifth generation Xeon scalable server processors are known as Sapphire Rapids and Granite Rapids, and their platform is called Eagle Stream, it's very likely that its first Xe-HPG GPU will be codenamed Niagara. Falls.
Xe HPG microarchitecture teaser = 🍬👀 pic.twitter.com/kdzBokBiW4
- Intel Graphics (@IntelGraphics) March 18, 2021
Intel launched its first GPU based on the Xe-HPG architecture at the end of last October. Mass production, driver development, extensive testing, and other steps required to bring a new chip to market typically take about a year. Therefore, the next GPU is unlikely to launch before the start of the fourth quarter of 2021.
Starting a promotional campaign for a product that will not be available for more than half a year is a bit strange, but, in the meantime, the company may want to draw maximum attention to its graphics card aimed at gamers, especially in a period like this in which the two biggest competitors, AMD and NVIDIA, are struggling to meet the demand for their new products.
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