Intel samples its DG1 GPU reference platform to independent software vendors for development and testing.

Intel has begun distributing a special software development version of its first discrete graphics card, code-named DG1, to software developers in preparation for the launch of the company's Xe GPU architecture later this year. During a briefing with journalists at CES in Las Vegas on Wednesday, Intel executive Ari Rauch, vice president of Intel Architecture, Graphics and Software and general manager of the Visual Technologies team and Graphics Business, emphasized that the graphics card being sent to developers is "a software development vehicle" and does not represent what consumers should expect from the company's eventual commercial discrete GPU release. Rauch noted that "it's still a very early development platform that we wanted to share with you today," while the special development version is being distributed in a custom development desktop PC. Intel showed the development system running the PC game Warframe during the press briefing.

The primary goal of distributing the DG1 software development vehicle is to encourage developers—whether creating PC games, content creation programs, or other applications—to optimize their software for Intel's upcoming Tiger Lake mobile processors and the DG1 discrete graphics card, both of which will use the new Xe GPU architecture. Darren McPhee, Intel's director of product marketing for discrete graphics, stated that "another purpose of DG1 is it's a software development vehicle for us. That lets us put Xe architecture in the hands of game developers and application developers and start to get the wheels turning for Xe. That's going to help Tiger Lake, DG1 and lots of other Xe-based products that come after it." Rauch said a "substantial" number of independent software vendors (ISVs) are receiving the DG1 software development vehicle this year, and noted that "I want to get the users from day one the best experience." McPhee added that Intel has assembled "a world-class developer relations team" engaging with developers and ISV engineers to support the optimization effort.

Tiger Lake processors with integrated Xe graphics are expected to begin shipping later this year and will deliver a promised double-digit graphical performance boost compared to Intel's current-generation Ice Lake chips for laptops. The DG1 discrete graphics card will feature dynamic tuning capabilities for power-efficient platforms. Regarding the company's previous target of releasing its first discrete GPU in 2020, Rauch declined to provide specific timing, stating only that "we are not sharing exact timing, but we are on track to our plans that we set for ourselves." The company's effort to enter the discrete GPU market follows its 2017 hiring of Raja Koduri, AMD's former chief GPU architect, to lead Intel's discrete GPU initiative.

Intel has disclosed multiple microarchitectures within the Xe family designed for different market segments. The Xe HPC microarchitecture targets high-performance computing, deep learning training, and cloud graphics, while Xe LP (low power) addresses gaming, PC mobile, and ultra-mobile devices. Between these segments sits Xe HP (high performance), which serves gaming, cloud graphics, media transcode, analytics, and workstation applications. In November, Intel shared details of its first discrete GPU for HPC and deep learning, code-named Ponte Vecchio, which will be integrated into the U.S. Department of Energy's Aurora supercomputer, scheduled for a 2021 launch. Rauch concluded by explaining that this week's announcements focus on "our Xe LP, low power, which is basically trying to address the ultra-mobile, the next generation in Tiger Lake and in DG1, leveraging the common architecture there that is really optimizing to deliver peak performance in a power-constrained envelope."