CXL 1.0 Specification released

[LukeSavenije]

Sources: @AluminiumTech, Anandtech

 

With the move from single core to multi-core performance, a new war has started with how data is moved between compute resources. The Interconnect Wars is here, and it just got even more complicated. We’ve seen NVLink, CCIX, and GenZ as a host-to-device and device-to-device high-speed interconnect, from different companies with many different features. Now CXL, or Compute Express Link, is Intel's take on it.

 

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At its heart, Compute Express Link (CXL) will initially begin as a cache-coherent host-to-device interconnect, focusing on GPUs and FPGAs. It will use current PCIe 5.0 standards for physical connectivity and electrical standards, providing protocols for I/O and memory with coherency interfaces.  The focus of CXL is to help accelerate AI, machine learning, media services, HPC, and cloud applications. With Intel being at the heart of this technology, we might expect to see future Intel GPUs and FPGAs connecting in a PCIe slot in ‘CXL’ mode. It will be interesting to see if this will be an additional element of the product segmentation strategy.

 

it surely is a interesting move, but i'm not sure if it's needed. with many other interconnects already availible, the choice for intel to make a own is a weird idea in my opinion.

Edited March 11, 2019 by LukeSavenije
added sources

[NunoLava1998]

what the fuck is a CXL

i just read the article it's JUST fucking pcie but """improved upon""" like lmao

[LukeSavenije]

Just now, NunoLava1998 said:

what the fuck is a CXL

A interconnect standard made by intel

 

as mentioned in the article above...

[NunoLava1998]

Just now, LukeSavenije said:

A interconnect standard made by intel

 

as mentioned in the article above...

*PCIe 4.0 but it's rebranded

[LukeSavenije]

Just now, NunoLava1998 said:

*PCIe 4.0 but it's rebranded

actually 5.0, but you're sort of right

 

except that it's like nvlink: you connect devices with each other

[CarlBar]

19 minutes ago, LukeSavenije said:

actually 5.0, but you're sort of right

 

except that it's like nvlink: you connect devices with each other

Afik pcie 5.0 hasn't been defined fully yet so it can't be 5.0. Probably a typo and should be 4.0.

[Taf the Ghost]

5 minutes ago, CarlBar said:

Afik pcie 5.0 hasn't been defined fully yet so it can't be 5.0. Probably a typo and should be 4.0.

Most likely no. This is for their PCIe 5.0 generation parts. Though what's the difference between this and CCIX or GenZ? Beyond just Intel wanting their own name brand on something.

[LukeSavenije]

5 minutes ago, CarlBar said:

Afik pcie 5.0 hasn't been defined fully yet so it can't be 5.0. Probably a typo and should be 4.0.

according to anandtech writer Ian Cutress it's 5.0 both in the whole article and the attached pictures... so I'm not sure if it's a typo

[LukeSavenije]

Just now, Taf the Ghost said:

Most likely no. This is for their PCIe 5.0 generation parts. Though what's the difference between this and CCIX or GenZ? Beyond just Intel wanting their own name brand on something.

i haven't found anything tbh...

[sazrocks]

So is this just Intel’s response to AMD’s Infinity Fabric?

[LukeSavenije]

3 minutes ago, sazrocks said:

So is this just Intel’s response to AMD’s Infinity Fabric?

pretty much

[GoldenLag]

5 minutes ago, sazrocks said:

So is this just Intel’s response to AMD’s Infinity Fabric?

Similar but not 100% the same if i understand it correctly

[Stefan Payne]

4 hours ago, sazrocks said:

So is this just Intel’s response to AMD’s Infinity Fabric?

AMD announced that they might support CCIX and /or Gen-Z with future Products.

Possibly ROME.

[Mira Yurizaki]

Obligatory:

[aezakmi]

7 minutes ago, Mira Yurizaki said:

Obligatory:

 

[rcmaehl]

CALLED IT. 1 moment..

 

EDIT:

https://discordapp.com/channels/375436620578684930/375436621450969089/551066019180052480

 

CXL specific connector when?

[S w a t s o n]

5 hours ago, Taf the Ghost said:

Most likely no. This is for their PCIe 5.0 generation parts. Though what's the difference between this and CCIX or GenZ? Beyond just Intel wanting their own name brand on something.

According to charlie boy, pretty much nothing between this and CCIX, yet...

 

https://semiaccurate.com/2019/03/11/intel-releases-compute-express-link-spec/

[Taf the Ghost]

5 minutes ago, S w a t s o n said:

According to charlie boy, pretty much nothing between this and CCIX, yet...

 

https://semiaccurate.com/2019/03/11/intel-releases-compute-express-link-spec/

AMD and some of the ARM Server makers will be shipping servers with CCIX before Intel has working silicon for testing of CXL. Intel can force certain adoptions, but if the ecosystem is already operating, it's Itanium again.

[Stefan Payne]

8 minutes ago, rcmaehl said:

CALLED IT. 1 moment..

 

EDIT:

https://discordapp.com/channels/375436620578684930/375436621450969089/551066019180052480

 

CXL specific connector when?

You can't go much smaller with the Slots we have right now. To go smaller, we need a different slot system, wich is till based on the Original stuff from the late 70s...

[Stefan Payne]

1 minute ago, Taf the Ghost said:

AMD and some of the ARM Server makers will be shipping servers with CCIX before Intel has working silicon for testing of CXL. Intel can force certain adoptions, but if the ecosystem is already operating, it's Itanium again.

Intel is also losing importance right now with the upcoming 7nm Rome, there probably isn't any reason to get an Intel Chip for any reason. Especially with all that Spectre/Meltdown stuff.

With AMD and ARM working together with the CCIX stuff, I doubt that Intel has any chance with their stuff. Especially when there are a ton of Acceleration Cards with CCIX Support - wich are already announced by Altera or some other FPGA manufacturers.

 

Especially since all that stuff will be released somewhere late 2020, if not 2021 while CCIX will be released later this year. That's more than a year for the free and open standard...

[Taf the Ghost]

Just now, Stefan Payne said:

Intel is also losing importance right now with the upcoming 7nm Rome, there probably isn't any reason to get an Intel Chip for any reason. Especially with all that Spectre/Meltdown stuff.

With AMD and ARM working together with the CCIX stuff, I doubt that Intel has any chance with their stuff. Especially when there are a ton of Acceleration Cards with CCIX Support - wich are already announced by Altera or some other FPGA manufacturers.

 

Especially since all that stuff will be released somewhere late 2020, if not 2021 while CCIX will be released later this year. That's more than a year for the free and open standard...

Even if Rome was 5x more powerful per socket than Intel's CPUs at the same cost, it'd be years before AMD put a huge dent in Intel's sales. Companies don't buy from Intel or AMD but from SIs and Channel companies, thus the entire ecosystem will still keep producing Intel systems. And, if demand suddenly reached Intel levels, there isn't enough Fab space. Intel is the world's largest Fab company, and by a fairly wide margin.

 

But what it does mean for a certain type of ecosystem is AMD dominance within it for several years. AMD really should be pressing hard to get that off the ground before Intel can force its own standards on things.

[S w a t s o n]

2 minutes ago, Taf the Ghost said:

And, if demand suddenly reached Intel levels, there isn't enough Fab space. Intel is the world's largest Fab company, and by a fairly wide margin.

 

I think that's Samsung actually but intel may relcaim this year

[pas008]

21 minutes ago, Stefan Payne said:

Intel is also losing importance right now with the upcoming 7nm Rome, there probably isn't any reason to get an Intel Chip for any reason. Especially with all that Spectre/Meltdown stuff.

With AMD and ARM working together with the CCIX stuff, I doubt that Intel has any chance with their stuff. Especially when there are a ton of Acceleration Cards with CCIX Support - wich are already announced by Altera or some other FPGA manufacturers.

 

Especially since all that stuff will be released somewhere late 2020, if not 2021 while CCIX will be released later this year. That's more than a year for the free and open standard...

isnt altera intel though?

[Mira Yurizaki]

13 minutes ago, Taf the Ghost said:

And, if demand suddenly reached Intel levels, there isn't enough Fab space. Intel is the world's largest Fab company, and by a fairly wide margin.

To add it's not like AMD can leverage other fabs outside of TSMC, since GF stopped their 7nm development and Samsung is the only other company that can do it (as far as I know), and they've got other things to worry about.

 

So either AMD has to release Rome at a larger fab processor is just deal with low supply.

[Stefan Payne]

Its entirely possible that they might dual source their Zen2 Dies from multiple foundrys, once Samsung got their 7nm process running.

AMD can not have short supply of their 7nm chips.