Intel Corp. will show off its first chip design that has graphics capabilities built into the processor, stepping up a threat to Advanced Micro Devices Inc. and Nvidia Corp.
Chief Executive Officer Paul Otellini will demonstrate the product next week at the Intel Developer Forum in San Francisco, the company said. The design, known as Sandy Bridge, will go into production next quarter and become the basis for Intel’s entire lineup.
The new approach marks a shift for the industry, potentially eliminating the need for separate graphics cards in most personal computers. AMD got a jump on that change with the 2006 purchase of ATI Technologies Inc., giving it access to a stand-alone graphics maker. It’s been using ATI’s capabilities to craft a new line of processors called Fusion. While Intel already includes graphics functions, they haven’t been as powerful as separate products.
“Intel never really took graphics that seriously -- they were pretty pathetic for a while there,” saidSteve Kleynhans, an analyst at Gartner Inc. who was briefed on Sandy Bridge. The new lineup is probably good enough for most PC users, which means manufacturers don’t need to add separate chips, he said. LINK
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