Intel 4th Gen Arc Druid GPU Could Arrive Sooner Than You Think If All Goes To Plan
Intel has been working hard on its upcoming launch of its first modern discrete graphics card called Arc Alchemist. It is entering into a market of uncertainty when it comes to GPUs as they continue to be a very hard piece of hardware to get your hands on. The shortage of chips and scalpers have led to many finding it near impossible to acquire a GPU, and when they do it is typically far more costly than MSRP. So for anyone to be thinking about Intel's fourth iteration of its GPU lineup could leave some scratching their heads as to why.
The 'why' comes in the form of a tweet from theBryceIsRt, aka Bryce, on November 22nd. In the tweet, he was replying to another post talking about a possible 2025 release of a GeForce RTX 6090 GPU. His response, seen below, has left a few of us wondering if Intel's Druid will actually make a debut in 2025 as well.
The Alchemist version of Intel's new GPU family is scheduled to release in Q1 of 2022 for the mobile market and in Q2 for desktops. Although this has not been confirmed by Intel as of yet, and could change. Even so, a release of the Druid in 2025 would be a fairly enthusiastic goal. Competitors have been releasing next-gen cards about every two years, and for Intel to place Druid in the hands of consumers by 2025 would mean it will have to put out a new card every year.
This could very well be the case...maybe. While Intel has been in the game of PC hardware since pretty much the beginning, it will more than likely be playing catch-up for a bit with its more established competitors in the discrete graphics card market.
As of right now, information for the Druid GPU is limited. Intel has said that it will feature its Xe Next Architecture, which could be the first real successor to Xe HPG. The second generation Battlemage GPU has been rumored to be launching in 2023, which would fit into the yearly cycle. But dates for the Celestial and Druid have not been discussed, until possibly now.
If you are one of the many who have been frustrated at being able to acquire a GPU, Intel does have a competition going right not where you could win an Alchemist GPU and have it before it hits the public market. The Xe HPG Scavenger Hunt is an opportunity for 300 people to win an Alchemist GPU. While the chances of placing in the top 300 is getting slimmer with each new question, the opportunity to win a gift card worth $50-$100 toward the purchase of an Alchemist GPU is still very likely. Intel is also looking into a way to make getting a GPU easier for those that win one of those gift cards.
Thinking about when a GPU will be launched that will follow three other GPUs that have not even been released yet may seem like a silly thing to do. But isn't that what technology is all about? Looking forward to what comes next and beyond is what keeps all of us nerds excited even in the midst of a GPU shortage that has us all beating our heads against a wall.
