From InfoWorld: When introducing its monster 72-core Xeon Phi chip, Intel couldn't help but take a swipe at graphics processors for being sluggish for some tasks.
Ironically, Xeon Phi is a byproduct of Larrabee, which was supposed to be Intel's first major GPU but was abandoned in 2009 after multiple delays.
The swipe was a shot at Nvidia, whose GPUs are flourishing in the gaming and machine learning areas. But Nvidia's success has also raised questions about whether Intel should've been patient and pursued Larrabee.
Nevertheless, Xeon Phi has been successfully used in supercomputing, and now Intel wants to challenge Nvidia's GPU by bringing the chip to machine learning.
The latest 72-core Xeon Phi 7290 chip is company's fastest chip to date. It will start shipping in September for US$6,294, making it Intel's most expensive processor. The company also announced three other Xeon Phi chips with 64 to 68 cores.
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