Intel QuickPath Interconnect

Prior to the name's announcement, Intel referred to it as Common System Interface (CSI). Earlier incarnations were known as Yet Another Protocol (YAP) and YAP+. QPI 1.1 is a significantly revamped version introduced with Sandy Bridge-EP (Romley platform). QPI was replaced by Intel Ultra Path Interconnect (UPI) in Skylake-SP Xeon processors based on LGA 3647 socket. Although sometimes called a "bus", QPI is a scalable interconnect fabric with dynamic routing capabilities. It was designed to compete with HyperTransport that had been used by Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) since around 2003. Intel developed QPI at its Massachusetts Microprocessor Design Center (MMDC) by members of what had been the Alpha Development Group, which Intel had acquired from Compaq and HP and in turn originally came from Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC). Its development had been reported as early as 2004.