Intel Abandons Plans to Bring Falcon Shores AI Chip to Market

Intel is effectively killing its next-generation GPU, Falcon Shores, which was designed for high-performance computing and AI workloads. The move comes as Intel tries to correct course after a number of disappointing product launches and historic losses, while competitors like AMD and Nvidia gain ground.

Disappointing Product Launches and Historic Losses

The company’s fourth-quarter earnings call on Thursday revealed that Intel will "leverage Falcon Shores as an internal test chip, without bringing it to market." According to co-CEO Michelle Johnston Holthaus, Intel is not yet participating in the cloud-based AI data center market in a meaningful way. To address this, Holthaus has taken immediate action to simplify the company’s roadmap and concentrate its resources.

Focus on Jaguar Shores

Instead of Falcon Shores, the focus will be on Jaguar Shores, which Holthaus called Intel’s opportunity to "develop a system-level solution at rack scale to address the AI data center more broadly." This approach aims to provide a full-scale rack solution, which is what customers really want.

Tempering Expectations

Holthaus tempered expectations for Falcon Shores last month, implying that it was an "iterative" step over the company’s previous dedicated AI data center chip, Gaudi 3. She emphasized that Falcon Shores will help Intel work on the system, networking, and memory, but customers want a full-scale rack solution, which Jaguar Shores can provide.

Gaudi 3: A Miss for Intel

Gaudi 3 is widely seen as a miss for Intel. In November, the company said it would be unable to meet its goal of $500 million in Gaudi 3 sales due to software-related issues. Today, few major service providers beyond IBM have committed to using the chip.

Uphill Battle in the AI Data Center Chip Space

Intel faces an uphill battle in the AI data center chip space. Rival AMD expects to make around $7 billion in AI chip revenue in 2025, while Nvidia, the incumbent to beat, could hit $195 billion in revenue in fiscal 2026, according to some analysts.

Focus on Total Cost of Ownership

Holthaus’s focus is on the problems customers are trying to solve, most notably the need to lower the cost and increase the efficiency of compute. She believes that a one-size-fits-all approach will not work and sees clear opportunities to leverage Intel’s core assets in new ways to drive the most compelling total cost of ownership across the continuum.