Intel Details Chips Designed For IoT and Edge Workloads

Intel today announced the launch of new products tailored to edge computing scenarios like digital signage, interactive kiosks, medical devices, and health care service robots. From a report: The 11th Gen Intel Core Processors, Atom x6000E Series, Pentium, Celeron N, and J Series bring new AI security, functional safety, and real-time capabilities to edge customers, the chipmaker says, laying the groundwork for innovative future applications. Intel expects the edge market to be a $65 billion silicon opportunity by 2024. The company's own revenue in the space grew more than 20% to $9.5 billion in 2018. And according to a 2020 IDC report, up to 70% of all enterprises will process data at the edge within three years. To date, Intel claims to have cultivated an ecosystem of more than 1,200 partners, including Accenture, Bosch, ExxonMobil, Philips, Verizon, and ViewSonic, with over 15,000 end customer deployments across "nearly every industry."

The 11th Gen Core processors -- which Intel previewed in early September -- are enhanced for internet of things (IoT) use cases requiring high-speed processing, computer vision, and low-latency deterministic processing, the company says. They bring an up to 23% performance gain in single-threaded workloads, a 19% performance gain in multithreaded workloads, and an up to 2.95 times performance gain in graphics workloads versus the previous generation. New dual video decode boxes allow the processors to ingest up to 40 simultaneous video streams at 1080p up to 30 frames per second and output four channels of 4K or two channels of 8K video. According to Intel, the combination of the 11th Gen's SuperFin process improvements, miscellaneous architectural enhancements, and Intel's OpenVINO software optimizations translates to 50% faster inferences per second compared with the previous 8th Gen processor using CPU mode or up to 90% faster inferences using the processors' GPU-accelerated mode.

They bring an up to 23% performance gain

[QuietLagoon]

What's the security like? Intel has shown an apparent preference for performance at the expense of security. So when Intel claims performance gains, I always have a concern about how much the security may have been compromised in order to achieve that performance gain.

Re:

[Waffle Iron]

You'll need the 23% performance gain to compensate for the performance-robbing software mitigations of the new vulnerabilities that were introduced with the 23% performance gain.

Re:

[ljw1004]

What's the security like? Intel has shown an apparent preference for performance at the expense of security. So when Intel claims performance gains, I always have a concern about how much the security may have been compromised in order to achieve that performance gain.

Intel's perf-related security vulnerabilities were about speculative execution, i.e. the scenario where a host container is running an untrusted program. I don't see how that could be an issue for IoT devices.

Intel's other security vulnerability was about its Intel Management Engine. This was unrelated to performance. But if they put IME into their IoT chips, then yes I'd be concerned.

Re:

[drinkypoo]

". I don't see how that could be an issue for IoT devices."

The processors are not for IoT devices, perhaps that is why you are confused. Intel can't do low power. They tried and failed with ARM already. These processors are for processing data from IoT devices.

Re:

[QuietLagoon]

I wasn't talking of specific security concerns of the past and whether or not they might affect the current. I was talking about what seems to be Intel's preference for performance over security. But I do admire that your deflection was quite smooth. Congrats!

Re:

[PingSpike]

No problem, its targeting IoT devices so security isn't required.

So, another embedded chip

[Snotnose]

I'm a few years out of date now but last time I needed to choose an embedded chip there was SH-4, MIPS, ARM, some crappy thing from Intel, and others I'm forgetting.

Is this something different, or marketing spin?

Used to be called "Embedded Controllers"

[HotNeedleOfInquiry]

Intel made a lot of nice ones in the 80's and 90's until they abandoned the field.

Low Power?

[gtall]

Most IoT requires low power. I didn't see any low-power claims by Intel here. Maybe I missed them?

Problem with Intel MMU

[minorityreport]

Did they ever manage to solve the problem with the Memory Management Unit

6 months out

[algaeman]

Great. An announcement from Intel that a long delayed chip is 6 months out. Sure it is.
I use Atoms as HTPCs. They are adequate, but ARM has completely caught up to them in terms of performance, and Atom is simply not competitive on a price basis. You can get a set top box from China for $30, throw Kodi on it, and it will outperform a $150 Atom box. If ARM would provide a more open graphics driver (esp Vulkan support), there would be little reason for anyone to buy these chips.

If Intel dominates in edge work loads

[rsilvergun]

would that make them edge lords?

I'll see myself out.