Intel's Xe-HP GPU spotted in benchmarks with 4096 cores, advancing AI accelerator competition.

Intel's Xe-HP GPU, codenamed HD Graphics Neo, has been spotted in the Geekbench database with benchmark results, according to findings by TUM_APISAK via Videocardz. The chip, based on Intel's Gen 12 GPU architecture, is positioned for the Datacenter and AI market segment and is expected to launch sometime next year. The discovery reveals specifications and performance metrics for what may be named the "Neo" lineup for datacenters.

The test system featured an Intel Whitley platform with next-generation Ice Lake-SP processors. The processor configuration included 2 cores with 24 cores and 48 threads each that sum up to 48 cores and 96 threads, with a CPU base clock of 3.50 GHz along with 30 MB of L2 and 36 MB of L3 cache. The system contained 128 GB of DDR4 (ECC) memory and ran Ubuntu 20.04.1 operating system.

The Xe-HP "Neo" GPU specifications show 512 Compute Units or 4096 cores, with each Compute Unit on the Gen 12 GPUs consisting of 8 cores. The GPU operates in a 1-Tile configuration representing the entry-level SKU of the Intel Xe-HP lineup, which extends to 2 and 4 Tiles offering a total of 1024 CUs (8192 cores) and 2048 EUs (16,384 cores) respectively. The Neo GPU ran at clock speeds of 1.15 GHz and features 6.36 GB of memory, though this could potentially round to 6 or 8 GB.

During Intel's Architecture Day presentation, the Neo GPU demonstrated near-perfect scaling across configurations. Running at higher clock speeds of 1.3 GHz, the 1-Tile GPU scored 10.5 TFLOPs of FP32 compute performance, the 2-Tile GPU scored 21.1 TFLOPs of FP32 compute, while the 4-Tile GPU scored 42.0 TFLOPs of peak FP32 compute. In the Geekbench OpenCL benchmark, the Xe-HP "Neo" GPU achieved 25,475 points, with performance suggesting the sample was not yet optimized for driver support, operating at the lower clock speed of 1.15 GHz compared to Intel's demonstration units running at 1.3 GHz.

The chips are expected to be ready for shipment sometime in 2021, marking Intel's entry into the datacenter GPU market with the Neo lineup, while the company continues development of its Xe-HPG lineup for gaming applications.