Intel took the stage at IFA 2017 to unveil their new Xeon W processors. With this, speculations have surfaced that Apple's upcoming workstation, the iMac Pro 2017, will be powered by the new Intel chip.
The Intel Xeon W, contrary to the previous Xeon Scalable chipsets, are designed to work for next-generation workstations, Venture Beat reported.
There are particular heavy loads of work that the Xeon W processor can support, especially for users dealing with artificial intelligence (AI) and virtual reality (VR). At this point, workstations using the Xeon W chipset will be able to build immersive content like special effects in movies and unique engineering designs.
Intel said that the Xeon W processors are suited for engineers and professionals by making their workstations more productive with better data analysis. Intel Xeon vice president and general manager Lisa Spelman said that the new Intel chip can boost the workstation's performance in photo-realistic design, modeling, AI, analytics and VR content creation.
"One of the most exciting trends in entertainment today is immersive 3D VR media, and professional workstations are a key component to the creation of this content. Rendering immersive media is a time-consuming process that demands the highest performance workstations," said Intel's press release.
Meanwhile, Slash Gear reported that the Intel Xeon W may possibly find its way to Apple's upcoming iMac Pro 2017 workstation. To note, the current iMac Pro version already boasts an octa-core processor from Intel.
If speculations come true, the new iMac Pro 2017 will feature very powerful specs, combining the Core i9 and Xeon W to create an 18-core machine.
Apple has not yet revealed the specs of the iMac Pro 2017. Also, Intel has not yet announced the workstations that will receive Xeon W processors. People are advised to wait for the company's official word and take the early speculations with a grain of salt.
