Intel and AMD Take On Nvidia with New Gaming Chip

Update 11:50 a.m. - Intel has made an official announcement. See below.

Intel will announce a new chip that it made in cooperation with rival AMD to take on graphics giant Nvidia, the Wall Street Journal reports.

The new chip will combine an Intel CPU with AMD graphics in an effort to produce slim laptops capable of running intensive video games -- two factors that sell laptops in a very competitive market.

Intel and AMD haven't cooperated for decades, and AMD has spent the last several years struggling to catch up to what is largely considered Intel's superior processor technology. Meanwhile, Intel CPUs usually have to be paired with a GPU from Nvidia or AMD to get any serious graphical work done or to play PC games.

AMD recently announced a new line of chips, Ryzen Mobile, to compete with Intel on desktops, while its Ryzen desktop chips have been widely available since earlier this year. AMD told the WSJ that these new chips won't compete with Ryzen Mobile, which aren't tuned specifically for gaming.

Intel describes the new product as part of Intel's 8th Gen processors. "[It] brings together our high-performing Intel Core H-series processor, second generation High Bandwidth Memory (HBM2) and a custom-to-Intel third-party discrete graphics chip from AMD’s Radeon Technologies Group – all in a single processor package," Intel client computing vice president Chris Walker wrote.

While the WSJ reports that the Intel/AMD combo will appeal to "serious gamers," it doesn't specify what other GPUs from Nvidia or AMD it could be comparable to.

Earlier this year, Nvidia released its Max-Q design specifications, which allow for thin gaming laptops like the Asus ROG Zephyrus that are efficient and don't produce much heat.

Intel competes with Nvidia in the AI space, while AMD is a competitor with the company in gaming and graphics. Nvidia is widely considered the standard-bearer in gaming, so we're curious to see the official announcement and to test these new chips in laptops whenever they become available. For more architecture details, check out our sister site, Tom's Hardware.