Intel recently unveiled its GDC 2021 showcase and they sparked the next GPU X and HPG for gamers with a sneaky detail: an enigmatic puzzle that probably provides some delicious information about the platform to come. Whoever solves this first probably wield all the power of the infinite stones run into a juicy easter egg.
Intel hides enigmatic puzzle in GPU Xe and HPG teaser
The puzzle was first discovered by Videocardz:
We need to decode this 😎
00100011
10100000
11101101
11010000– VideoCardz.com (@VideoCardz) March 18, 2021
The preview of the Xe HPG starts at 42:07 in the video below:
The two puzzle instances we were able to identify (there may be more) are provided below for your convenience:
The 7-digit alphanumeric string comes first and the binary flashes a few seconds later:
- 79.0731W
- 00100011
10100000
11101101
11010000
We tried to translate the binary, but it resulted in unknown characters at all, except ASCII, where it returns the following: “# íД. This may be a coincidence and the binary may also have something to do with hexadecimals (Martian!) – or nothing at all – we don’t know. The alphanumeric string can be a part of the larger puzzle or a separate hint in itself.
If the alphanumeric string is separated, it can mean many things. The 79.07 could be the TDP, the 31W could be referring to the release date (or 31 weeks of 2021) which when decoded results in “August 2, 2021” (hat tip to Videocardz for looking at the week) . It can also mean something totally different – because we are not sure, as we said.
If you have an idea on how to solve this puzzle, feel free to post your solution in the comments below. The last company that tried to put a hint on a puzzle was NVIDIA with its Turing graphics cards (which were triggered by cryptographic puzzles) and most of them were resolved in a few days. Unless this puzzle is more difficult, we should see the solution within a day or two, as soon as we put on our collective thinking caps.
Intel Xe HPG will be the company’s first gaming graphics card and will likely have 512 EUs or 4096 ALUs (cores). They will target the middle market segment and prices should be really affordable, considering what is happening in the markets due to cryptocurrencies right now. The Xe HPG will be the company’s test in the game graphics segment and will be the predecessor to significantly more powerful cards if the test is successful.