On the Intel side, we have learned that the company is putting together a new team of engineers to develop a new architecture. According to a job posting published by the company, Intel is working on new “unified cores.” This would simply spell the end of hybrid architectures with P-Cores on one side and E-Cores on the other!
Is this the end of hybrid architectures at Intel?
Since the release of the Alder Lake processors in 2021, Intel has been offering processors with a so-called “hybrid” architecture. This means that the company relies on two types of cores: performance-oriented cores and so-called “efficient” cores. While the former are used to handle complex workloads, the latter take care of lighter tasks or background tasks. To orchestrate this whole ecosystem, the company relies on the thread director, which works in conjunction with the operating system to redirect the workload according to the type of core.
In the professional sector, this allows for simplified CPU segmentation. Thus, models intended for the HPC or AI market benefit from P-Cores, while the cloud sectors can enjoy CPUs consisting exclusively of E-Cores.
With unified cores, we wonder how the processor ranges will be segmented. Will Intel apply limitations on the number of cores? On cache memory?
For now, this is just a job posting, and we know absolutely nothing about the company’s future plans. We don’t know if the team dedicated to unified cores is already in place and they are looking to fill it, or if they are just setting it up. We also don’t know if work has begun, etc. Furthermore, the use of unified cores means that the company could stop using its hybrid CPUs, or maybe not. It remains to be seen when this will take shape.
