Intel confirms that Xe3 GPUs are “baked” and that work has started on Xe4
Intel plans to continue creating Xe-powered GPUs – It doesn’t stop with Battlemage
Intel’s Top Petersen has confirmed that Intel is working on post-Battlemage GPU products. On The Full Nerd Podcast, Petersen stated that Xe3 is “pretty much baked.” Furthermore, he stated that their hardware team “are off to the next thing,” Xe4.
Intel revealed their ARC B580 and B570 GPUs this week, and it now seems clear that Intel has no plans to abandon the gaming market. Intel is working on Xe3 and its successor, meaning we should see at least two more generations of Intel discrete GPUs. Designs for Intel’s Xe3 GPUs have already been finalised. However, it’s worth remembering that silicon products take a long time to move from being a design to being a real-world product. Regardless, it is encouraging to see that Intel has long-term plans for the gaming market.
I think the way UI would like to comment is that our IP – that’s kinda called Xe3 – which is the one after Xe2 – that’s pretty much baked. And so the software teams have a lot of work to do on Xe3. The hardware teams are off on to the next thing. That’s our cadence that we need to keep going.
When Intel revealed ARC Alchemist (Xe1), the company unveiled a roadmap that included Xe2, Xe3, and Xe4. The good news today is that Intel appears to be sticking to this roadmap. Xe3-based designs are “baked”, and Xe4/XeNext is in the works.
There have been rumours that Intel has considered leaving the discrete GPU market. Based on Tom Petersen’s recent statements, those rumours are false. That said, Intel is looking for a new CEO (Pat Gelsinger retired from Intel this week), and that new CEO might not see Intel’s GPU ambitions as a worthy endeavour.
If I’m honest, I am excited about Intel’s Battlemage series of GPUs. Intel promises strong value for money, which has been missing from the sub-$250 GPU market for a long time. Intel wants to make the low-end GPU market great again, and that is a good thing. If nothing else, it will force AMD and Nvidia to be more competitive in this space. That will make PC gaming more accessible, and that is always a good thing.
You can join the discussion on Intel’s work on Xe3 and Xe4 GPU IP on the OC3D Forums.
