Intel reveals deets of new chip

Will drive its move into computer graphics

5 August 2008 17:57 GMT / By Katie Scott

Intel's new chip will first appear in new products in late 2009 or early 2010.

The chipmaker has revealed details of a new chip, that is hoped will drive its move towards providing the innards of dedicated gaming machines.

According to the blueprints, the new Larrabee chip will be a stand-alone graphics processor and so will bring Intel into direct competition with graphics specialists Nvidia and the ATI division of AMD.

Intel has not yet revealed how many processing cores the Larrabee chip will have onboard.

However, it has promised to reveal more details about Larrabee at the upcoming Siggraph computer graphics conference due to be held in Los Angeles from 12-15 August.

But analysts are already being sceptical.

Peter Kastner, an analyst with research firm Scott-Page, told the BBC: "Intel is showing its cards, but will have to deliver the products that live up to an attractive architecture".

Full tags

Hardware, Intel, Atom, Larrabee