Intel Engineer Unveils “Griffin Cove” Development Progress; Highlights Past Challenges with Solely Relying on Intel’s Nodes

Intel’s prominent engineer recently confirmed that Team Blue is diligently progressing on the “great-grandchild”of Lion Cove, which validates the anticipated development of Griffin Cove.

Intel Embraces Flexibility in CPU Design with an “Agnostic”Node Approach

In recent years, Intel’s CPU division has experienced a downturn, especially following the launch of the 12th-generation “Alder Lake”processors. This decline has made it increasingly difficult for the company to compete effectively against rivals like AMD. However, optimism appears to be on the horizon for Intel. During an interview with KitGuru, Ori Lempel, Intel’s Senior Principal Engineer in Core Design, disclosed that the company is currently developing technologies three generations ahead of Lion Cove to bolster its competitive edge.

Lempel noted that the development of Cougar Cove, which will be integral to Panther Lake system-on-chips (SoCs) scheduled for release in the second half of 2025, has been successfully finalized. As a result, it can be inferred that Intel’s focus is shifting toward the next successor, tentatively named “Griffin Cove.”While there’s much speculation around Griffin Cove, especially regarding Razer Lake and its purported transition to an all “P-Core”configuration, we will refrain from diving into rumors at this juncture.

Intel Panther Lake | Image Credits: PCGH

One key insight from Lempel is that Intel’s CPU design team has now adopted a “99% process node agnostic”strategy, granting them greater flexibility in choosing the appropriate node for each specific CPU line. Under the leadership of Pat Gelsinger, the previous “IDM 2.0″strategy focused on exclusively using Intel’s in-house nodes for CPU designs. However, this approach has sometimes led to disappointing performance and yield rates, necessitating reassessments and incurring additional costs.

The new adaptable methodology allows Intel to ensure that “libraries, analog components, and designs can be synthesized for any node.”This flexibility empowers the company to implement a dual-sourcing strategy for semiconductor processes. Additionally, with a more “hardened”approach, Intel can develop CPU designs across “multiple nodes, ”evaluating critical variables such as time-to-market and performance to select the most viable process, whether from Intel Foundry Services (IFS) or external partners like TSMC.

The company’s reliance on IFS has significantly contributed to its recent performance improvements, and Intel is now open to the possibility of collaborating with external partners for its semiconductor requirements, as indicated by Intel’s Products CEO, Michelle Johnston Holthaus, in earlier statements. The upcoming Panther Lake debut will serve as a litmus test, showcasing a “new Intel”and revealing whether Team Blue has effectively orchestrated a resurgence in the competitive landscape.

Senior Intel Engineer Explains the Radical Shift in CPU Design (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJGr-HWzGFs)

News Source: @harukaze5719

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