Intel to launch Ivy Bridge-E in Q3 2013

A leaked slide from Intel reveals its plans to launch Ivy Bridge-E in the third quarter (Q3) of 2013. The CPU will thankfully re-use the same LGA 2011 socket that was used by Sandy Bridge-E and will most likely be an up-scaled version of the current CPU. The Ivy Bridge-E chips will be based on the same 22nm fabrication process, only with more cores, memory channels and PCIE 3.0 interfaces. While the socket remains the same, we have yet to see if Intel will launch a brand new chipset just for Ivy Bridge-E.

The roadmap for next year

Before Intel can launch Ivy Bridge-E, we have ‘Haswell’ to look forward to. This will be a completely different architecture from Ivy Bridge, built using the same 22nm fabrication process. The CPUs will be built using the same 3D tri-gate transistor technology, having chips with upto four cores. The new chip will also be using a brand new socket, LGA 1150 which means it will be incompatible with any of the current sockets. Technically, it should be possible for Intel to make it backwards compatible with LGA 1155 motherboards, since Haswell will be using fewer pins. Just like Sandy Bridge-E, Ivy Bridge-E will be purely performance oriented and directed towards enthusiasts and hardcore gamers alike. Ivy Bridge was launched this year as a successor to Sandy Bridge. While both shared the same architecture, Ivy Bridge marked Intel’s transition to the 22nm fabrication process.

The performance gains found in the new processors are due in part to the three-dimensional structure of the new Intel transistors. Until today, computers, servers and other devices have used only two-dimensional planar transistors. Adding a third dimension to transistors allows Intel to increase transistor density and put more capabilities into every square millimetre of these new processors. Intel has once again re-invented the transistor and delivered a combination of performance and energy efficiency, thus sustaining the pace of technology advancement and fuelling Moore’s Law for years to come. The third generation Intel Core processor features Intel HD Graphics 4000 that delivers up to two times better 3D graphics performance compared to the previous-generation processor. Intel HD Graphics 4000 supports Microsoft DirectX11, OpenGL 3.1 and OpenCL 1.1.

Intel’s 2013 line-up already looks quite formidable, which puts even more pressure on AMD. The red team will not only continue with its second generation FX CPUs in 2013, but will also be introducing their first batch of 28nm APUs in the mainstream segment. And later, it will transition the FX CPUs to the 28nm process. Hopefully, it’s enough to give Intel some stiff competition, else they’ll have to play the ‘value’ card one more time.