Intel discontinued GPU Max 1350 and refocused on Max 1450 for targeted market segments.

Intel has restructured its Data Center GPU Max product lineup, eliminating the Data Center Max GPU 1350 and introducing a newly-designed Data Center Max GPU 1450 later in 2023 with reduced I/O bandwidth intended for different markets. This restructuring follows Intel's earlier decision to cancel its Rialto Bridge GPUs as part of a broader reorganization of its AXG graphics division.

The original Ponte Vecchio GPU lineup consisted of three models: the Data Center Max GPU 1550, Data Center Max GPU 1350, and Data Center Max GPU 1100. Intel launched the 1550 model in the first quarter of 2023, while the Q2 launch for the 1100 model remains unaffected by the recent changes. The Data Center Max GPU 1450 will arrive later in 2023, though Intel has not yet provided a specific launch date.

According to Intel's statement to Tom's Hardware: "We launched the Intel Data Center Max GPU 1550 (600W), which was initially targeted for liquid-cooled solutions only. We have since expanded our support by offering Intel Data Center Max GPU 1550 (600W) to include air-cooled solutions. As a result, we are streamlining our product offerings by removing the Intel Data Center Max GPU 1350 (450W), which was geared for air-cooled solutions. We will introduce the Data Center GPU Max 1450 SKU later in 2023, which has lower IO bandwidth for different markets and will be able to use air- and liquid-cooling solutions. Rounding out our product portfolio, we will introduce the Data Center GPU Max 1100 SKU, which is a 300W PCIe card (Gen5) for broad market deployments."

The Data Center Max GPU 1450 is widely expected to be a cut-down version of the 1550, likely carrying the same 450W TDP rating as the canceled 1350 model, though Intel has not yet confirmed this. The reduction in I/O bandwidth appears designed to comply with U.S. export regulations limiting chip-to-chip I/O bandwidth to less than 600 GB/s for China-bound GPUs—a strategy similar to Nvidia's conversion of its H100 (Hopper) GPU to the H800 for the Chinese market.

Intel's original roadmap called for releasing Rialto Bridge to succeed Ponte Vecchio in 2023 and launching Falcon Shores in 2024 to replace it. The company has now decided to cancel Rialto Bridge and push Falcon Shores to 2025, meaning Ponte Vecchio will compete in the market for at least another two years against Nvidia's H100 and AMD's Instinct MI300.