Intel and AMD unveil 8th-gen Core CPU with custom Radeon graphics

Firms put past feuds behind them to take on Nvidia

AMD and Intel have put their 20-year feud behind them to take on Nvidia with a co-designed Intel Core microprocessor with custom Radeon graphics.

Not so long ago, the Nvidia accounted for 80 per cent of the market, but AMD has recently started chipping away at this lead with its homegrown Vega-based graphics cards.

Now Intel, which recently took aim at Nvidia with its Nervana AI chip, wants in on the action and has teamed with AMD to launch the new 8th-gen Core H-series chip with integrated AMD Radeon graphics.

The processor is aimed squarely at "enthusiasts", according to Intel, with the two firms looking to bring a top-tier gaming experience to ultra-thin notebook PCs with high-performance CPU and graphics performance.

The new chip, which Intel claims reduces the usual silicon footprint to less than half that of standard discrete components on a motherboard, will feature a "semi-custom" graphics processor from AMD. This, the firms claim, will offer discrete graphics-level performance for playing games, editing photos or videos, and other tasks that can leverage modern GPU technologies.

Scott Herkelman, vice president and general manager of AMD's Radeon Technologies Group, said: "Our collaboration with Intel expands the installed base for AMD Radeon GPUs and brings to market a differentiated solution for high-performance graphics.

"Together we are offering gamers and content creators the opportunity to have a thinner-and-lighter PC capable of delivering discrete performance-tier graphics experiences in AAA games and content creation applications.

"This new semi-custom GPU puts the performance and capabilities of Radeon graphics into the hands of an expanded set of enthusiasts who want the best visual experience possible."

The H-Series CPU will is the first consumer product to take advantage of Embedded Multi-Die Interconnect Bridge (EMIB) in order to allow Intel and AMD's components work together, and is also the first mobile processor to use High Bandwith Memory 2 (HBM2). This consumes much less power and takes up less space compared to traditional discrete graphics-based designs using dedicated graphics memory.

Intel's new Core H-Series chips are expected to hit the streets in the first quarter of 2018, and the firm is teasing incoming designs from 'major OEMs'.