Intel Speed Data: Horse Feathers from the Horse Ridge Gang
February 12, 2021
Intel is an interesting example of paranoia forgotten. One of the Intel wizards pointed out in a meeting, “I’m paranoid because everyone is out to get me.” I think this expert wrote a book based on this quip. Paranoid outfits have to try harder. Why? Others want to take them out.
AMD has not nailed the pin on the Horse Ridge Gang’s donkey—yet. Intel has managed to flub its fabbing. This failure to be afraid and thus work harder and smarter resulted in the company losing out in the Great CPU Race. Along the way, the company asserted that it had achieved something every quantum computing wannabe needed: A quantum controller chip. At the same time, AMD was putting in long hours trying to figure out how to go smaller, deliver more bang for the computer buck, and reduce its CPUs’ power consumption.
Whilst engaged in the quantum computing gold rush and fab flubbing, Apple did the M1 thing. How does Intel respond to a hippy dippy Silicon Valley outfit? The best way possible for an outfit which had lost the ability to fear what its competitors can do. Intel points out that Apple is pretty much a not-so-serious technology outfit.
You can get the details of this interesting explanation of fab flubbing, missing mobile, and finding itself trying to deal with AMD and Apple. It will be a while before the Horse Ridge thing produces Apple-scale revenues in my opinion.
The write up “Intel Swipes at Apple Silicon with Selective Benchmark Claims” states:
The [Intel presentation] slides generally appear to show Intel’s chip as being either comparable or superior to the M1 in various tasks, though with major caveats. For a start, the benchmarks use Intel’s “Real-world usage guideline” tests, a collection of trials that don’t seem to be actively followed by most other testers.
The article runs through some performance results showing the Horse Ridge Gang has fast horses. I then noted this passage:
While a company aims to present itself and its products in the best light, and potentially in a way that brings competitors down in comparison, Intel’s presentation indicates it is doing so by jumping through hoops. Cherry-picking test results and using more obscure testing procedures than typical suggests Intel is straining to paint itself in the best light.
I know that one can put lipstick on a pig. I was not aware that the Horse Ridge Gang decorated its performance data with stage make up and horse feathers.
Stephen E Arnold, February 12, 2021
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