Strange Intel ARK DG2MB Database Entry Hints At A Motherboard With A Preinstalled GPU
Most people don't know this, but Intel's ARK product information database has both a publicly-accessible consumer-facing version as well as a private, internal version that requires users to sign an NDA before viewing it. That's because it contains information on all kinds of new, upcoming, and unreleased products.
Well, hopefully the nominal Igor of Igor's Lab hasn't signed any such NDA, because yesterday he posted a screenshot from the internal version of ARK that seems to describe a pretty unusual Arc Graphics product. He says that the entry is new to the database, and looking at the values, they seem to describe an Alchemist GPU with 16MB of cache, a 4.0 GHz clock rate, and a 200-Watt TDP.
Image: Igor's Lab
It's not listed in the image, but Igor says that the entry lists a packaging technology code of "FC-BGA16E" with 2660 pins. That's certainly not any kind of CPU we're aware of, and points yet again to this being a GPU, but at 4 GHz with a 200W TDP, it is not likely to be any regular Alchemist product.
Folks theorized a few ideas in the comments on Igor's post, but he answered the question himself: it's a reference board and test platform for mobile solutions that include Intel CPUs and DG2-based graphics. Both parts are "firmly soldered" on the test platform, apparently; it reminds us of similar boards we've seen in the past. Hopefully that won't be the case for all of the Arc mobile GPUs, but we'll know sooner than later.
