Intel has tested the Battlemage architecture GPU in the laboratory

Last week, Intel extended an invitation to editors and journalists from across the globe, welcoming them to their Malaysian-based facilities and laboratories. This gesture granted attendees a glimpse into the behind-the-scenes endeavors Intel undertakes in both the client and data center sectors. Notably, Intel unveiled the fifth-generation Xeon XCC CPU and the Meteor Lake processor, configured in a 6+8 arrangement. However, the pièce de résistance was the introduction of the next-generation Battlemage GPU, already operational within their labs.

Hardwareluxx chronicled this exploratory visit, confirming Intel’s in-lab operation of the forthcoming ARC gaming GPU, codenamed Battlemage. Following the culmination of their first-generation Alchemist architecture, Intel embarked on developing the sophomore Battlemage iteration. The inaugural set of Battlemage chips, currently in operational testing, are fashioned using TSMC’s 4nm process. Designated as BMG-G10, this nomenclature suggests it is the successor to ACM-G10, the GPU employed in ARC A770 and A750 graphics cards. Rumor posits that there exist two variations of the Battlemage GPU: Xe2-HPG and Xe2-LPG, though this seems to be tailored to specific graphics card products.

Apart from establishing a standalone GPU, Intel’s Battlemage architecture will herald its debut as the blueprint for the first generation of integrated graphics. Current conjectures anticipate the Lunar Lake processors, slated for a 2025 release, to be imbued with the Battlemage architectural essence. Furthermore, whispers in the tech corridors indicate that the standalone Battlemage graphics might hit the shelves in February 2024, boasting pioneering cooling technologies.

With testing apparatuses already set up for the Battlemage GPU, the laboratories are buzzing with diverse validation and debugging activities. Observing Intel’s acquisition of early chips for the new GPU suggests that the development trajectory for the next-generation ARC graphics card is progressing seamlessly. It is evident that the Intel team is ardently striving to enhance its hardware-software ecosystem through avant-garde functionalities and driver optimizations. One can confidently surmise that the forthcoming ARC graphics cards will eclipse the current Alchemist’s performance.