Intel Introduces ‘Alder Lake’ Chips – Similar To Apple’s ARM Designs

During the CES 2021 conference, Apple unveiled its next-generation Alder Lake series of chips. The global tech giant claims that these chips provide a major breakthrough as far as the x86 architecture is concerned.

The crossbred Alder Lake chipsets will feature a design that will resemble Apple’s M1 chips. These chips are touted to be high on performance and very efficient. It is also expected to have similarities with the ‘Lakefield’ processors that Intel showcased in front of a select audience last year. Intel, with a lot of confidence, has stated that the Alder Lake range of chips will lay the foundation for mobile processors and computer systems that will be launched in the market in the near future.

While there is no specific date given as far as the launch of the product is concerned, Intel has stated that the first group of computers, featuring this chipset, will come out in the second half of 2021. Though it is almost ready, the first half of this year will be spent testing the product extensively.

The 12th-generation Alder Lake chips have an improved version of the 10-nanometer SuperFin designs that have been a part of Intel’s Tiger Lake family. These chips will also have a mix of the novel “Gracemont” power-efficiency cores and the powerful “Golden Lake” cores.

In the past, Intel has developed hybrid chips primarily for mobile devices. The company is said to have more ambitious plans for the Alder Lake chips. This step by Intel indicates that the success that Apple tasted with its ARM chips has definitely inspired the company to think bigger.

For a while, Intel has been under intense pressure owing to the rapidly growing competition in the market. According to reports, Intel was looking at various strategic options to make its presence felt in the market with a sense of renewed energy.

At the moment, there is no clarity on the number of Macs Intel will be required to use in the process. The 2020 iMac range, which was unveiled in August last year, was the last time Apple had launched a macOS device featuring an Intel chip.

Apple predicts that it will take another two years for Apple Silicon to be launched and fully implemented. Last year, Apple launched the Mac mini, MacBook Pro, and MacBook Air. All these devices featured proprietary chipsets.