Intel says integrating RAM into Lunar Lake SoC was a mistake, might abandon desktop GPUs again

In brief: Intel Lunar Lake mobile CPUs controversially integrated strategy representation onto nan SoC, preventing users from installing further RAM. The institution now partially blames nan determination for its latest disastrous net report. Furthermore, Intel's restructuring plans mightiness impact downsizing aliases ceasing improvement Arc desktop GPUs.

During nan company's third-quarter 2024 earnings call, Intel confirmed that its early laptop chips will return to nan accepted usage of RAM sticks, reversing Lunar Lake's extremist displacement to baked-in strategy memory. The institution is besides reassessing GPU improvement complete nan coming years.

The precocious introduced Lunar Lake Core Ultra 200V ray mobile CPUs travel pinch either 16GB aliases 32GB of representation built into nan package. Intel claims that forgoing SODIMM sticks reduces powerfulness depletion during representation transfers by 40 percent, but users are stuck pinch nan RAM that ships pinch nan device.

When asked whether nan institution would proceed utilizing this design, CEO Pat Gelsinger confirmed that early architectures specified arsenic Panther Lake and Nova Lake won't usage on-package memory. Moreover, Gelsinger described Lunar Lake arsenic a one-off task initially intended for a niche marketplace earlier it grew successful consequence to nan emerging AI PC market.

Intel CFO David Zinsner admitted that integrating strategy representation importantly impacted Lunar Lake's gross margins. The comments were made during an net telephone pursuing nan company's Q3 2024 financial report, which showed a $16.6 cardinal nett nonaccomplishment – 10 times nan erstwhile quarter's nonaccomplishment of $1.6 billion. Analysts expect Intel to station billions successful losses for 2024 overall, Chipzilla's first yearly nett nonaccomplishment since 1986.

When discussing nan future, Gelsinger mentioned plans to streamline nan company's merchandise stack to simplify development. This intends less SKUs, pinch discrete graphics connected nan chopping block. Gelsinger said nan marketplace will person little request for dedicated graphics cards successful nan future.

Intel launched its first statement of discrete GPUs, Arc Alchemist, successful 2022, but delays put nan components down nan curve compared to competing products from Nvidia and AMD. Intel gained only a fewer percent points of marketplace stock complete nan past mates of years, and that bladed portion had wholly evaporated by nan 2nd half of 2024.

As Team Red and Team Green scheme to motorboat caller GPU lineups successful Q1 2025, Intel's 2nd procreation of discrete graphics, Arc Battlemage, remains connected way to hit them to nan marketplace successful precocious 2024. However, expected capacity profiles stay unclear, and Battlemage's marketplace capacity mightiness determine nan destiny of nan 3rd planned lineup, Arc Celestial.