Intel Arc Celestial “Xe3” & Battlemage “G31” GPUs Discovered, Intel Dives Deep into the Discrete Graphics Market

Lately, whispers about Intel stepping back from the discrete GPU market are gradually fading into the background. There’s been a recent influx of more convincing evidence about their next-generation Arc Celestial "Xe3" and high-end Battlemage "G31" chips surfacing online.

Intel’s Commitment to Xe3 & Xe4 GPU Development and Initial Insights into Arc Celestial "Xe3" & Battlemage "G31" GPUs

In a recent move to solidify its standing, Intel has revealed its upcoming Battlemage B-Series line, featuring the Arc B580 and Arc B570 graphics cards. These models cater to the core gaming audience, aiming to serve the sub-$250 US market. Their main competition will be the current and upcoming offerings from AMD and NVIDIA.

Intel’s Arc Battlemage is designed with the gaming community in mind, much like AMD’s strategy with their anticipated RDNA 4 "Radeon RX 8000" series. However, Intel may have a few unexpected tricks ready to surprise the market.

A recent shipment log from NBD.ltd spotlighted the Intel BMG-G31 SoC, signaling that a higher-end B-Series card could soon be on the horizon. The Arc B580 and B570 GPUs use the BMG-G21 SoCs, whereas the G31 SoC is rumored to pack a greater number of Xe2 cores, possibly featuring in models like the B770. Intel’s own Tom Petersen has hinted at an even more robust Arc B-series card in the works, which this chip might power.

Shifting focus to Intel’s Celestial or Xe3 discrete products, "Panther Falls" GPUs, a codename for Celestial SKUs, have been listed in shipping records. These are part of the Arc lineup as indicated by tech enthusiast @Haze2K1. Intel has confirmed the completion of work on Celestial, with their teams already progressing towards the Druid "Xe4" lineup.

Moreover, the listings also highlight several Qualification Samples, which include PCBs and complete boards. A 128 EU or 16 Xe3 model of the Arc Celestial discrete GPU was recently spotted by Tomasz Gawronski. This suggests that Intel’s forthcoming Panther Lake CPUs will incorporate Arc Xe3 GPUs with up to 12 Xe3 cores, potentially offering a more budget-friendly discrete option.

All these developments certainly dispel the rumor mill swirling around Arc’s potential cancellation. With the launch of their 2nd Gen Arc products and a commitment to future developments, Intel teases us with the promise of advanced models in the Battlemage series. We look forward to further announcements about their discrete GPU strategy at CES 2025. Meanwhile, GPUs like the B580 and B570 are set to strengthen Intel’s position in the mainstream gaming market.

Intel ARC Gaming GPU Lineup

The anticipation builds as Intel prepares to make a splash against industry giants in the coming years.