Intel has delayed plans for an advanced graphics chip based on its Larrabee silicon and software development, and it may be because of a Federal Trade Commission investigation into alleged anticompetitive behavior. Larrabee is a complex, multi-year project focused on a new approach to graphics and high-performance computing, according to Intel.
“Our first Larrabee product will not be launched as a stand-alone discrete graphics product, but rather be used as a software development platform for internal and external use,” said Intel spokesperson Nick Knupffer. “While we are disappointed that the product is not yet where we expected, we remain committed to delivering world-class many-core graphics products to our customers.”
Intel plans to share more about its plans for discrete graphics products sometime in 2010, according to the company.
“The performance of the initial Larrabee product for throughput computing applications — as demonstrated at SC09 — is extremely promising and we will be adding a throughput computing development platform based on Larrabee, too,” Knupffer added.
Nvidia Issue Continues
The FTC has been investigating Intel for more than two years about its licensing agreement with Nvidia. The Larrabee graphics chip would have competed with Nvidia’s graphics chips. In June 2008 the FTC started a formal investigation.
At the heart of the FTC’s probe is the legal dispute between Nvidia and Intel. Intel sued Nvidia in February after the two Santa Clara, Calif.-based companies could not come to an agreement. The companies had a cross-licensing agreement which enabled Nvidia to make chipsets compatible with Intel microprocessors.
Intel sued Nvidia, saying it didn’t have the rights to build solutions for Nehalem-based CPUs. The agreement between the two companies covered processors that didn’t contain integrated memory controllers, according to Intel.
Observers, however, say Intel’s lawsuit was filed as a way to delay Nvidia from moving from central processing…