Intel partners AMD to build microprocessor with integrated AMD Radeon graphics

Arch-rivals AMD and Intel have teamed up to co-design an Intel Core microprocessor with a custom AMD Radeon graphics inside. The partnership is clearly aimed at another rival Nvidia. The new chip will be made for laptops that are designed to be thin and portable, but still powerful enough for gamers who need a stronger option to play intensive games.

The laptops built with the new chips won’t be competing with AMD’s Ryzen chips, which are also designed for ultrathin laptops and due out at the end of this year. AMD specified that these new Intel chips will be aimed at serious gamers, whereas Ryzen chips can run games but aren’t specifically designed for that purpose.

The chip package will contain multiple pieces of silicon: an Intel CPU, a custom-built AMD Radeon GPU, and stacked second-generation High Bandwidth Memory (HBM2).

Connecting the GPU and its memory is Intel's new "Embedded Multi-Die Interconnect Bridge" (EMIB), a high-speed, short-range interconnect that Intel has designed to join different chips within a single package. Intel says that EMIB enables the creation of faster, thinner packages, enabling the multi-chip module to fit into slimline laptop form factors.