According to a leaked slide, Gigabyte suggests that over hundred-watt CPUs are on their way. However, this doesn’t mean you’ll have a 600W CPU in your desktop PC unless you use high-end server hardware. The leaked slide, shared by HXL on Twitter, indicates that processor power, including CPU and GPU, is expected to reach new heights in the next two years.
It seems that by the end of 2025, the top-end CPUs from Intel and AMD will require 500 and 600 watts respectively, while PCIe GPUs will scale up to 500 watts. Additionally, NVIDIA’s SXM5 standard, represented by Hopper H100, is already drawing 700 watts. There is also mention of the upcoming Grace Superchip, which is expected to consume as much as 1 kilowatt. It’s important to note that these power requirements are specific to server hardware, as indicated by the Giga Computing logo at the bottom of the chart. Therefore, this information primarily pertains to “big iron” server hardware and not desktop PCs.
It’s not unexpected for those who are keeping up with the industry that processor power requirements will experience a rapid increase. This can be attributed, in part, to the diminishing returns of power efficiency achieved through newer and smaller fabrication processes. Although there are still noteworthy advancements in lithography techniques, the gains obtained from them are smaller and happening at a slower pace compared to previous advancements.
However, there’s another significant factor contributing to the surge in power requirements: the increasing demand for computational power is growing at an unprecedented rate. The desire to utilize services that rely on extensive computing capabilities is driving the need for faster processors by any means necessary.
While it’s unlikely that we’ll see 600-watt CPUs for desktop PCs in the near future, current Intel chips can easily surpass 250 watts in terms of actual power consumption. It wouldn’t be surprising if upcoming processors like Zen 5 and Arrow Lake officially exceed 150 watts, which means they could draw twice that amount or even more under extreme workloads. It’s advisable to invest in robust CPU cooling solutions to handle these power demands effectively.
“With great POWER comes great responsibility”😋 pic.twitter.com/LI808coxoZ
— HXL (@9550pro) May 15, 2023