Intel's Arrow Lake desktop CPU has been delidded, revealing the rather elegant CPU die design & validating the possibility of using direct die cooling technologies.
Intel's Arrow Lake SKU Gets Delidded Before Official Launch, Showing Us The Tile Configuration Changes Made
Someone did take the risk of delidding Intel's newest Arrow Lake SKU, showing us how the onboard CPU die is configured, and initial impressions do show us that Team Blue managed to create some of the nicest CPU dies out there.
The hardware expert @Madness727 (via X) posted images of what seems to be Intel's Arrow Lake CPU die design after going through the delidding process. Unfortunately, the user didn't share details about how the IHS was separated, but we now have the first batch of real-time images of Intel's Arrow Lake CPU die.
I just can't stop myself from delidding stuff pic.twitter.com/XmniBHY5U8
— Madness! (@Madness727) October 18, 2024
We won't go much into the details of Intel's Arrow Lake die design, since we have frequently covered them in previous posts, but Team Blue did adopt a scalable tile approach design with their newest desktop CPUs, by separating dedicated tiles such as compute, graphics, I/O and the SoC, placing them all on a base tile that then using the "Die-to-Die" interconnect technology to have all joined together. The cross-section compartments you see in the images represent the different dies, with the compute tile getting more of the space, followed by the SoC, graphics, and I/O tiles.
When you look closely into the images, there are a total of six visible compartments on the Arrow Lake CPU die, four of them occupied by the tiles mentioned above. However, the other two tiles are the spacer and the filler tiles, which don't have silicon onboard and are used for other purposes. The spacer tiles are used to maintain the structural integrity of the CPU and prevent warping or bending, while the filler tiles are there for the same purpose as well, but manufacturers usually integrate them for even thermal dissipation.
All of the building blocks of Arrow Lake CPUs are put together in a tiled fashion with a total of six tiles which include:
- Compute Tile (TSMC N3B)
- Graphics Tile (TSMC N5P)
- SOC Tile (TSMC N6)
- I/O Tile (TSMC N6)
- Filer Tile (N/A)
- Base Tile (Intel 1227.1)
Well, the delidding of Intel's Arrow Lake CPUs does show us that direct-die cooling would not be a possibility with them as well, but due to the structural changes, the lineup would probably need new tools to get the IHS out, and since the die design is completely revised, a rework might be needed with the potential cooling solutions. Regardless of it, we can't wait to see what Intel's Arrow Lake CPUs bring to the industry.
About the author: Muhammad Zuhair is a hardware and technology reporter for Wccftech, specializing in the semiconductor industry and the complex interplay between technology, manufacturing, and geopolitics. His coverage focuses on the corporate strategies and technological roadmaps of industry giants like TSMC, NVIDIA, Samsung, and Intel. Zuhair's expertise lies in deconstructing complex topics such as fabrication nodes (e.g., 2nm process), the economic impact of policies like the CHIPS Act, and the strategic development of AI infrastructure from NVIDIA, AMD and Intel.
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