Intel unveils Crescent Island, an inference-only GPU with Xe3P architecture and 160GB of memory

Intel on Tuesday formally introduced its next-generation Data Center GPU explicitly designed to run inference workloads, wedding 160 GB of LPDDR5X onboard memory with relatively low power consumption. The new unit is codenamed Crescent Island, and it will use the company's upcoming Xe3P architecture when it hits the market next year. 

Intel's inference-optimized Data Center GPU codenamed Crescent Island will carry a GPU (perhaps two) based on the Xe3P architecture, which is a performance-enhanced version of the Xe3 architecture used in the Core Ultra 300-series 'Panther Lake' processors for laptops and compact desktops. The GPU is said to support a 'broad range of data types' relevant for inference workloads and cloud providers. Unfortunately, there is no word regarding the estimated performance for the part. However, there are still some hints in Intel's press release. 

The board will carry 160 GB of LPDDR5X memory (a lot more than one typically expects from a graphics card), which suggests the usage of many LPDDR5X devices. An LPDDR5X DRAM IC features two 16-bit channels, so its total interface width is 32 bits. The highest-capacity LPDDR5X die is 32 GB (8 Gb), so 20 of such chips are needed to equip a graphics card with 160 GB of LPDDR5X memory. This means that the card either carries one massive GPU with an unprecedented 640-bit wide memory interface connecting all 20 memory devices, or two smaller GPUs, each with a 320-bit memory interface and equipped with 10 memory devices. In both cases, it means that Intel will have two high-end graphics processors for inference, and the only question is whether these can also process graphics. 

Keep in mind that since LPDDR5X DRAMs feature two fully independent 16-bit channels, they cannot support butterfly mode (like GDDR6 or GDDR7), so it is impossible to connect 20 ICs using a single 320-bit interface to one GPU. 

Intel says that its inference-optimized Data Center GPU codenamed Crescent Island will be 'power and cost optimized for air-cooled enterprise servers,' so we would not expect the company to build a near-reticle-sized GPU for these cards. 

Intel plans to start sampling its Crescent Island products sometime in the second half of 2026. The company already has samples, and we might hear more details about their performance at the OCP conference or the SC25 trade show.

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