Intel's 14th generation processors, codenamed Meteor Lake, is set to introduce a focus on AI and energy efficiency. At the Computex 2023 event, Intel revealed details about their upcoming Intel Core processors.
With prior releases like Alder Lake and Raptor Lake primarily targeting performance, Meteor Lake shifts the focus towards efficiency and introduces a dedicated Artificial Intelligence (AI) unit.Intel sees the integration of a specific AI processing unit as not just an addition, but a requirement. There's a growing need for tasks such as video background blur, microphone noise suppression, and generating images from command prompts. These functions demand substantial computational power, stressing both processors and graphics chips.
The Vision Processing Unit (VPU) is purpose-built for AI functions, providing a more efficient solution. For example, a processor based on Meteor Lake can execute background blur twice as fast as its predecessor while reducing power usage by five times. This not only reduces the load on the GPU and CPU but also optimizes the models applying these effects, leading to more efficient image cutouts.
Intel's heterogeneous model allows AI applications to run directly on a user's PC. This approach is efficient as specific features benefit from local execution in terms of power consumption and latency. It also addresses privacy issues, ensuring that data remains secure and isn't exposed to third parties. Moreover, local AI processing removes dependency on third-party services for connectivity and availability.
Intel also supports open standards for AI development, cooperating with the open-source community across various applications. Intel has shared code for implementing effects like audio channel separation within a track in Audacity and an image generator in The Gimp powered by Stable Diffusion and accelerated by the VPU.
In the Stable Diffusion example, the VPU works synergistically with other structures, accelerating specific processes. The CPU, GPU, and VPU work together to decode the prompt, execute the neural model, and generate the image, depending on which component is the most efficient for each task. Image super-sampling, which enlarges an image to a higher resolution, is performed by the integrated ARC GPU with Intel Arc Xe Matrix Extensions (XMX) and Intel XeSS technology.
The specifics of how Meteor Lake will improve energy efficiency are not yet disclosed by Intel. However, it's clear that efficiency enhancements are essential, given the high power consumption and heat output of the 13th generation Intel Core processors in desktop systems.
The Computex 2023 announcement from Intel ends here, but further information about these products, including advancements to improve the efficiency of these new processors manufactured using the new Intel 4 process, will be forthcoming.
