Intel Arc GPUs are built for Nvidia and AMD gaming PC

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Intel is branding consumer GPUs as Intel Arc. This new Arc brand will cover the hardware and software powering Intel’s high-end discrete GPUs, as well as multiple generations of hardware. The first of these, formerly known as DG2, is expected to arrive in the form of the codename “Alchemist” in the first quarter of 2022.

Intel’s Arc-based Alchemist GPUs will be available in both desktop and laptop computers in early 2022, and it looks like Intel is aiming to compete against both AMD and Nvidia here. While we still don’t know much about the performance of the first Alchemist GPUs, Intel posted a teaser video today that showed off a silicon prototype supporting PUBG, Psychonauts 2, Metro Exodus, and more.

Intel Arc GPUs will be capable of network shader, variable rate shader, video upscaling, and real-time ray tracing. More importantly, Intel also promises AI-accelerated super sampling, which appears to be Intel’s own competitor for Nvidia’s Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS) technology. AMD released its own FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR) answer to DLSS in June, but it only uses spatial upscaling technology rather than AI-based temporal upscaling. The goal of all these technologies is to upgrade games from lower resolutions to provide smoother frame rates without noticeable compromising image quality.

“The launch of the Intel Arc brand and the unveiling of future generations of hardware demonstrates Intel’s deep and enduring commitment to gamers and creators everywhere,” says Roger Chandler, Head of GPUs for Intel Customers. “We have teams that do an incredible job of ensuring we deliver first-class, friction-free experiences when these products are available early next year.”

The first Intel Arc GPUs will arrive in laptops and desktops early next year. Photo: Intel

Intel is just teasing the branding of its Arc GPUs today and reveals that “Battlemage”, “Celestial” and “Druid” are all code names for its future generations of Arc GPUs. More details and details are planned for later in 2021.

So far, Intel has released its first Iris Xe graphics card, codenamed “DG1”, which uses the company’s Xe LP architecture. These low power cards are primarily designed for pre-built workstations, rather than dedicated gaming platforms. Intel’s upcoming Arc GPUs will be based on the company’s Xe-HPG microarchitecture, which is a mix of work that Intel has been putting into its Xe-LP, HP and HPC microarchitectures.

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