Lest you forget there are other GPU manufacturers aside from NVIDIA and AMD, Intel has a few surprises in store. Spotted on the SiSoftware official benchmark ranker, it appears as though Intel's Battlemage GPUs is nearing the light of day. Intel's Battlemage Xe2-HPG GPUs would be discreet products like Alchemist, to compete with the likes of AMD and NVIDIA.
The versions spotted are packing a supposed 12GB of VRAM and up to 24 Xe cores, compared to the existing top-end Intel Arc A770, which has 32 Xe cores and up to 16GB of VRAM. The Battlemage Xe2-LPG would include non-discreet products that would integrate with future CPUs, to give them graphics capabilities.
Spotted by @miktdt on X, SiSoftware Official Benchmark ranking
While the score itself will be understandably below the flagship Intel Arc A770 GPU, there are likely higher-end Battlemage-based GPUs eventually coming to join these leaked variants. Intel has been hard at work updating drivers for its existing Arc GPUs, often with tremendous performance gains on both older and newer titles.
When Intel Arc first released, it certainly had significant teething issues with its drivers that turned off many gamers. Facing intense competition from both NVIDIA and AMD in the low to mid-range GPU market, it was a stormy beginning. The hardware underpinning the Arc GPUs, such as the Arc A770 with either 8GB or 16GB of VRAM, proved to be capable. Punching above its weight class, it often successfully competed with more expensive products on the market.
Ray tracing is also an area where it typically excelled, thanks to its hardware.
The Intel Arc A770, predecessor to Battlemage GPUs
While Intel's Battlemage has been the subject of many rumors, this leak certainly points positively to a potential future product release. Intel Battlemage Xe2-HPG GPUs are important for Intel, to build on the positives that Arc has attained so far. Intel may also be savvy to avoid the same initial release woes that plagued the early Arc GPUs, with more discrete GPU driver experience under its belt.
Competent hardware and a high-quality set of drivers are essential to the success of any GPU, especially one such as Intel's Battlemage entering a highly competitive market. NVIDIA and AMD both have typically mature and straightforward drivers for new products, save for few inevitable bugs. Intel is in a different position in the GPU market, however, so any showstopper type bugs need to be avoided at all costs.
While release dates are still unknown, one can expect something in either late 2024 or by mid 2025, as @miktdt speculates on X.
