Intel's Latest Linux Driver Hints At Several More Discrete Arc Battlemage GPUs

Intel Arc B580 graphics card sitting on top of its retail box.
Intel's foray into the modern era of discrete GPUs has mostly focused on mid-range and entry-level solutions, a strategy it employed with its first generation Arc Alchemist architecture and, so far, again with its with second generation Arc Battlemage lineup. We don't see that shifting—NVIDIA has a stranglehold on the ultra-high end market (culminating in the GeForce RTX 5090), followed by AMD in second place—but it might be readying up to three more discrete Battlemage products.

If so, the upcoming additions would join the Arc B580 (released last December) and Arc B570 (released earlier this month) within the Battlemage family. Both of those are intriguing parts that, once again, strike a desirable balance between price and performance. The Arc B580, while not flawless, is an especially impressive entry into the discrete graphics card market, provided you can find one in stock at MSRP (no easy task, unfortunately).

Post on X/Twitter about Battlemage references in Intel's linux driver.

So, what about those new models that might or might not be in the pipeline? WCCFTech discovered an interesting social media post by Tomasz Gawroński (@GawroskiT on X/Twitter), who highlighted a mysterious reference to three PC IDs related to Battlemage in Intel's newest Linux kernel driver.

Sadly, that's the extent of the leak—there are no additional details, such as what specific models might be on Intel's roadmap, not to mention how the specifications might shake out. There are multiple possibilities, though.

In the lead-up to the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, the same X/Twitter user posted an image of a shipping manifest that showed a Battlemage GPU in a clamshell form factor with 24GB of VRAM. As we pointed out at the time, Intel launched professional versions of its previous generation Arc Alchemist architecture (Arc Pro A40, A50, and A60). It's entirely possible that the PC IDs in the Linux driver related to a Pro lineup for Battlemage.

It's probably less likely that any of the IDs reference a higher end consumer variant of Battlemage (anything is possible though, right?), but another possibility is that Intel is readying some lower end models to flesh out its lineup. Just as we saw Intel release Arc A770, Arc A750, and Arc A380 GPUs during the last round, we could see Arc B770, Arc B750, and Arc B380 GPUs based on Battlemage.

The time is right to strike. NVIDIA is dominating the discussion at the high end of the market with its initial GeForcle RTX 50 series lineup, and AMD is expected to release its Radeon RX 9070 XT in the coming weeks. Anticipation is running high, with NVIDIA warning of a possible shortage pertaining to its GeForce RTX 5090 and 5080.

Those are all higher end models, though, leaving the mid-range and entry-level segments ripe for the taking. Our advice to Intel? Strike while the iron's hot.