Intel's Iris Xe DG1 may be shaping up to be a disappointment, but the chipmaker's approaching Xe-HPG DG2 GPU could be a solid performer. German publication Igor's Lab has shared the alleged specifications for the DG2 in its desktop and mobile format.
The Xe-HPG DG2 block diagram seemingly suggests that Intel had originally planned to pair the GPU with its Tiger Lake-H chips, which are rumored to launch next week. It would seem that Intel didn't make the window for Tiger Lake-H, however, as Wallossek claims that the chipmaker will use the DG2 for Alder Lake-P instead. The DG2 reportedly features the BGA2660 package.
Apparently, the DG2 was supposed to communicate with Tiger Lake-H through a high-speed PCIe Gen 4.0 x12 interface. The 12-lane connection is a bit unorthodox, so it's uncertain if that was a typo. The DG2 would be the first GPU to offer DisplayPort 2.0 support. Oddly, the GPU only supports HDMI 2.0 and not HDMI 2.1. However, Wallossek did mention that this was an outdated diagram and DG2 could perhaps come with HDMI 2.1.
Wallossek shared a drawing of the board layout for a Tiger Lake-H chip that's accompanied by the DG2. We spotted a total of six memory chips. Evidently, only two of the memory chips are actually attached to the DG2. This would mean that the remaining four memory chips are probably soldered memory chips for the system.
Nevertheless, we can't discard the possibility that all six memory chips are for the DG2. The leaked specifications suggest that the DG2 can leverage up to 16GB of GDDR6 memory.
Intel Xe-HPG DG2 GPU Specifications
| Header Cell - Column 0 | SKU 1 | SKU 2 | SKU 3 | SKU 4 | SKU 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Package Type | BGA2660 | BGA2660 | BGA2660 | TBC | TBC |
| Supported Memory Technology | GDDR6 | GDDR6 | GDDR6 | GDDR6 | GDDR6 |
| Memory Speed | 16 Gbps | 16 Gbps | 16 Gbps | 16 Gbps | 16 Gbps |
| Interface / Bus | 256-bit | 192-bit | 128-bit | 64-bit | 64-bit |
| Memory Size (Max) | 16 GB | 12 GB | 8 GB | 4 GB | 4 GB |
| Smart Cache Size | 16 MB | 16 MB | 8 MB | TBC | TBC |
| Graphics Execution Units (EUs) | 512 | 384 | 256 | 196 | 128 |
| Graphics Frequency (High) Mobile | 1.1 GHz | 600 MHz | 450 MHz | TBC | TBC |
| Graphics Frequency (Turbo) Mobile | 1.8 GHz | 1.8 GHz | 1.4 GHz | TBC | TBC |
| TDP Mobile (Chip Only) | 100W | 100W | 100W | TBC | TBC |
| TDP desktop | TBC | TBC | TBC | TBC | TBC |
Wallossek listed a total of five potential DG2 GPUs. The SKU 1, SKU 2 and SKU 3 could be considered the high-performance versions, while the SKU 4 and SKU 5 are likely the entry-level models. They have one common denominator though. Regardless of the model, the DG2 allegedly utilizes 16 Gbps GDDR6 memory chips. The GPU alone should consume up to 100W, maybe around 125W if we factor in the GDDR6 memory chips. The desktop variants of the DG2 might arrive with a TDP over 200W.
The flagship DG2 GPU seemingly has 512 EUs that can clock up to 1.8 GHz. This particular model is equipped with 16GB of 16 Gbps GDDR6 memory across a 256-bit memory interface. This works out to 512 GBps of memory bandwidth.
The budget DG2 SKUs are limited to 192 and 128 EUs. The boost clock speeds are unknown for the moment. The memory configuration consists of 4GB of 16 Gbps GDDR6 memory that communicate through a 64-bit memory bus. The maximum memory bandwidth on these models is 128 GBps.
Assuming that Wallossek's time frame is accurate, production for the SKU 4 and SKU 5 models should start between late October and early December. He thinks that they may be ready just in time for the Christmas holidays. Production on the SKU 1 through SKU 3 models should start in between December and early March in 2022.
