In late March 2022, Intel officially unveiled the Arc A-Series Alchemist GPUs, marking its reentry into the discrete graphics market. The initial launch focused on the mobile-centric Arc 3 series, followed by subsequent releases of various mobile and desktop models. Additionally, Intel has been actively updating drivers to enhance user experience.
Following the previously disclosed roadmap, Intel is poised to introduce the next-generation discrete graphics card, codenamed "Battlemage," later this year.
During CES 2024, Intel researcher Tom Peterson reiterated details about the eagerly anticipated next-gen "Battlemage" discrete graphics card, reaffirming that the product, built on the Xe2-HPG architecture, is slated for release in 2024. More information will be shared at an appropriate time.
Recently, Intel's graphics cards utilizing this architecture have surfaced in the SiSoftware Sandra database.
Two Battlemage GPUs have appeared in the SiSoftware Sandra database, installed on an ASUS PRIME Z790-P WIFI motherboard. One features 20 Xe cores (320 EUs), while the other boasts 24 Xe cores (384 EUs). Both GPUs come with 8MB of L2 cache and 12GB of VRAM, likely with a 192-bit memory bus width, running at a frequency of 1.8GHz.
In the GPGSP benchmark tests, they achieved scores of 6030.66mpix/s and 7231mpix/s respectively, falling short of the previous Arc A770 (32 Xe cores) and Arc 750 (28 Xe cores).
However, the average performance per core of Battlemage is 16% higher compared to Alchemist, which utilizes the Xe architecture. Of course, as the current products are still in the engineering phase, the frequencies may not be maxed out, and subsequent optimizations will likely lead to significant performance improvements.
Moreover, based on parameters such as core count, these two products appear to be positioned relatively lower in the lineup, closer to the Arc A580 (24 Xe cores).
Tom Peterson previously stated that Battlemage will be simplified into two architectures: Xe2-LPG for integrated graphics and Xe2-HPG for discrete graphics cards. This simplification will streamline driver development, reduce costs, and enhance compatibility.
The integrated graphics of Lunar Lake will initially adopt the Xe2-LPG architecture, scheduled for production in 2024 (anticipated release in 2025). Meanwhile, the GPUs for discrete graphics cards will appear earlier than the GPU modules for processor-integrated graphics, indicating that Battlemage's discrete graphics are likely to debut in 2025 or even earlier this year.
Additionally, earlier this year, there were reports that Intel plans to axe the flagship BMG-G10 GPU from Battlemage. This GPU, featuring 56 Xe cores (full-fat version with 60 cores), with a 256-bit memory interface, will be replaced by the smaller-scale BMG-G21 GPU, boasting 40 Xe cores and a 192-bit memory interface. The new generation of GPUs will continue to be manufactured by TSMC using 4nm process technology.
Currently, Intel has not disclosed much information about the next generation of Arc graphics cards officially. However, it is expected that more information will be revealed over time.
From a product lifecycle perspective, Intel should indeed introduce a new generation of graphics cards. After all, it has been two years since the launch of the Arc A series, and new products are needed to showcase their position and strength in the graphics card market.
Of course, personally, I believe that compared to the "fighting the future" atmosphere during the debut of the first-generation products, the new generation of products should be more composed. After all, intense driver updates have accumulated a lot of optimization experience.
Although as a newcomer to the discrete graphics market, Intel is currently unable to threaten NVIDIA and AMD, having an additional competitor to shake up the market provides consumers with more options.
