Once again, Intel strikes back against AMD's high-end iGPU stack, but it doesn't seem to be interested in launching its competitor.
Intel's Fellow Tom Peterson Considers Discrete GPUs Better for Intensive Workloads, but Boasts About the Relative Performance of Intel's iGPUs
Today, we published one of the first reviews for Intel's recently launched Core Ultra Series 3 lineup, which proved Intel's dominance in integrated graphics when compared directly to Strix Halo. The Core Ultra Series 3 isn't competing directly with the Strix Halo, which still reigns as the king when it comes to the most powerful APUs for mobile devices. While Intel may not have won over Strix Halo, it is still claiming a win with its Panther Lake SKUs, which offer significantly stronger iGPUs and overall performance improvements over their predecessors.
Intel's fellow, Tom Petersen, just called AMD's current iGPU tech "Not that Competitive" in an interview with Club386. This is not the first time Intel has taken a jab against its biggest competitor, which is continuously taking up more and more market share in both the client and server segments. Recently, Intel said that AMD is selling "ancient silicon" and boasted about the superiority of Panther Lake chips.
AMD’s current product is not that competitive, either on a power or performance-per-watt basis.
- Tom Petersen, Intel Fellow
Given this confidence, if you are wondering if Intel is about to now come up with AMD's flagship Zen 5 mobile APU offering, i.e., the Strix Halo, then you will be disappointed, as Tom says it's not happening. Tom simply responded, "You know, I don't think so," in response to whether Intel will launch a Strix Halo competitor for a superior iGPU than what the current Panther Lake lineup has.
If there’s a segment like that, it’s primarily discrete. I think that segment would be better served by a small, discrete GPU that’s going to be provided by third parties.
- Tom Petersen
Instead, he says that discrete GPUs are best for handling intensive graphical workloads. So, at least for now, we know that Intel will probably be focusing more on next-gen chips, such as Nova Lake, to compete with Strix Halo and upcoming AMD Zen 6 high-end APUs. Nova Lake is going to be the first-ever CPU family that is reportedly bringing the Xe3P and Xe4 iGPU architectures onboard for the graphics tile, while AMD is rumored to continue using the RDNA 3.5 architecture for its next several generations of APUs.
This theoretically puts Intel in an advantageous position, considering the company will soon switch to newer iGPU architectures on the upcoming CPU families. It looks as if Intel has finally gained the courage to strike back, and it is also confident enough to release a dedicated stack of Panther Lake chips dedicated to gaming handhelds this year.
About the author: Sarfraz Khan is a hardware reporter with a focus on PC components and the builder community. With years of experience writing about PC hardware and laptops, his work has been featured on several reputable technology publications. Sarfraz's hands-on experience is demonstrated through his first-person accounts of using and comparing different hardware configurations, providing practical and relatable insights for everyday users. His technical analysis is respected by peers in the enthusiast community and has been cited by specialized hardware sites such as Germany's Igor's Lab.
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