The whispers about Intel stepping away from the discrete GPU market seem to be dissipating, thanks to fresh evidence suggesting their upcoming Arc Celestial "Xe3" and high-end Battlemage "G31" chips are indeed on the horizon.
Intel’s Xe3 & Xe4 GPU Progression: Unveiling the Arc Celestial "Xe3" and Battlemage "G31" Discrete GPUs
Recently, Intel rolled out details on its next-gen Battlemage B-Series, particularly the Arc B580 and Arc B570 graphics cards. These new additions are crafted for the mainstream market, targeting the under $250 price bracket, and are poised to challenge both current and upcoming graphics solutions from AMD and NVIDIA.
With the Arc Battlemage lineup, Intel is focusing on capturing the gaming community’s attention—just as AMD plans to with its soon-to-arrive RDNA 4 "Radeon RX 8000" series. Intel, however, might have a surprise in store.
In a tweet, user Tomasz Gawroński hinted at a substantial non-R&D shipment of the Battlemage G31 from Malaysia, suggesting Intel has more to reveal soon. Meanwhile, shipping records from NBD.ltd have surfaced, indicating the BMG-G31 SoC is still under wraps, hinting a more high-end B-Series graphics card might be released soon.
The Arc B580 & B570 GPUs utilize BMG-G21 SoCs, while the G31 SoC is expected to support a greater number of Xe2 cores, possibly for products like the B770. Intel’s Tom Petersen even hinted at a beefier version coming soon, which could involve the G31 chip.
As for Intel’s Celestial or Xe3 discrete products, shipping logs list a series of "Panther Falls" GPUs—an internal codename for Celestial SKUs—all part of the Arc family. As shared by Twitter user @Haze2K1, Intel has finished work on Celestial and is now full speed ahead on the development of the Druid "Xe4" lineup.
With Intel ready to unveil the B-Series graphics cards, it’s intriguing to note that development of C-Series discrete GPUs is also in motion. Tom Petersen’s statement during The Full Nerd show confirms such progress, noting a restructuring in how Arc handles DX9 and DX11.
The shipping list even includes various qualification samples composed of PCBs and full boards. Another Arc Celestial discrete GPU discovery by Tomasz Gawronski suggests a 128 EU or 16 Xe3 model. Given Intel’s Panther Lake CPUs are expected to boast Arc Xe3 GPUs with up to 12 Xe3 cores, this could address the entry-level market segment.
With these advancements, Intel seems to be putting rumors of abandoning its Arc lineup to rest. The company’s fresh second-gen Arc products, coupled with confirmations of future developments, hint at exciting prospects. At CES 2025, more details on Intel’s discrete GPU strategies are expected, while the B580 and B570 are set to secure Intel’s position as a formidable player in mainstream gaming graphics.
Intel ARC Gaming GPU Lineup Overview
Here’s a glimpse into the Intel ARC lineup: starting with the mainstream-focused Xe-HPG Alchemist GPUs and stretching to the forthcoming, potentially high-end Xe Next series GPUs. Each iteration, from Xe-HPG to Xe Next Next, is poised to adapt advanced process nodes like TSMC’s 6nm to projected 3nm, showcasing Intel’s evolving approach in both design and performance specifications. The lineup supports various segments of discrete and integrated GPU computing, embracing generations from Gen 12 to the anticipated Gen 16 and beyond.
