The evolution of Intel Xe GPU architecture introduces some changes to Intel GPU terminology to better represent their functionality. This article maps legacy GPU terminology (used in 9th Generation through 12th Generation Intel® Core™ architectures) to their new names in the Intel Xe GPU (Generation 12.7 and newer) architecture paradigm.
Terminology Changes
| Old Term | New Intel Term | Generic Term | New abbreviation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Execution Unit (EU) |
Xe Vector Engine |
Vector Engine | XVE | |
| Sub-slice (SS) or Dual Sub-slice |
Xe-core |
N/A | XC | |
| Slice |
For Xe-HPG: | Render Slice | Slice |
SLC |
| For Xe-HPC: | Compute Slice | |||
| Tile | Stack | Stack | STK | |
Processor Families with Legacy Terminology
These families of Intel processor graphics or discrete GPU cards continue to use legacy terminology:
| Gen | Code Name | Name |
|---|---|---|
| Gen 9 | Sky Lake Kaby Lake Coffee Lake | Intel® UHD Graphics Intel® Iris® Graphics Intel® Iris® Plus Graphics Intel® Iris® Pro Graphics |
| Gen 11 | Ice Lake | Intel® Iris® Plus Graphics |
| Gen 12.1 | Rocket Lake Tiger Lake | Intel® Iris® Xe Graphics |
| Gen 12.1 | DG1 | Intel® Iris® Xe Max Graphics |
| Gen 12.1 | Alder Lake | Intel® Iris® Xe Graphics |
| Gen 12.5 | Arctic Sound (ATS) |
- |
Processor Families with Intel Xe Terminology
These families of Intel processor graphics or discrete GPU cards use Intel Xe terminology:
| Gen | Code Name | Name |
|---|---|---|
| Gen 12.7 | Alchemist or ACM (previously DG2) ATS-M |
Intel® Xe-HPG Graphics |
| Gen 12.7 | Ponte Vecchio (PVC) |
Intel® Xe-HPC Graphics |
Scope of Terminology Change
These changes in GPU terminology impact only microarchitectural representations of Intel® Arc™ (Alchemist) and newer GPUs in Intel software analyzer tools. Here are some examples:
Gen12.1 (DG1) Architecture
This diagram shows the architecture of a Gen12.1 Intel® Iris® Max GPU.
This is the representation of the same Gen12.1 GPU architecture in the Memory Hierarchy Diagram of Intel® VTune™ Profiler, using legacy terminology.
- The GPU contains one tile with one slice.
- The slice has 6 sub-slices.
- Each sub-slice has 16 Execution Units (EU).
Gen12.7 Intel® Arc™ (Alchemist) Architecture
This diagram shows the architecture of a Gen12.7 Intel® Arc™ GPU.
This is the representation of the same Gen12.7 GPU architecture in the Memory Hierarchy Diagram of Intel® VTune™ Profiler, using Intel Xe terminology.
- The GPU contains one stack with eight slices.
- Each slice has four Xe-cores.
- Each Xe-core contains 16 Vector Engines (XVE).
