Intel Arc GPU
After releasing its first-generation Arc Alchemist GPUs in 2022, Intel now seems to be on a two-year cadence, as seen by the appearance of the Battlemage in a shipping manifest. This suggests that Battlemage GPUs are being supplied to Intel’s partners for testing, as it’s the first time they’ve seen any proof of them existing in the real world. Intel is probably getting ready for a launch later this year given the timing of this.
Two Battlemage GPUs are being shipped by Intel to its partners, per a recently discovered shipment manifest that was published on X. The GPUs’ designations, G10 and G21, suggest Intel is taking a similar approach as Alchemist, offering one SKU that is more or less high-end for “mainstream” gamers and one that is less expensive.
Intel Arc Graphics Cards
As you may remember, Intel had previously announced plans to launch four GPUs in the Alchemist family:
Intel Arc A380
The A380, A580, A750, and A770. However, only the latter two were officially announced. They anticipate that the A750 and A770, which Intel most likely delivers at launch for midrange gamers, will be replaced by the G10.
They’ve never heard of cards being “in the wild,” but two Battlemage GPUs have shown up in the Si Soft benchmark database before. The fact that both of those cards have 12GB of VRAM stood out as particularly noteworthy. This suggests that Intel increased their base-level allowance from 8GB, which is a wise decision in 2024. As stated by Intel’s CEO earlier this year, Battlemage was “in the labs” in January.
Intel Arc A770
A previously released roadmap from Intel indicates that the G10 is a 150W component and the G21 is 225W. It is anticipated that Intel will reveal notable improvements in Battlemage’s AI capabilities, greater upscaling performance, and ray tracing performance. As 225W GPUs were the previous A750 and A770, it seems Battlemage will follow the script when it comes to its efficiency goals. The business has previously declared that it wishes to aim for this “sweet spot” in terms of power consumption, wherein one PCIe power cable is needed rather than two (or three).
While the industry as a whole is anxious to see how competitive Intel will be with its second bite at the apple, gamers aren’t exactly waiting impatiently for Intel to introduce its GPUs like they do with Nvidia or AMD’s next-gen. Even if the company’s Alchemist GPUs were hard to suggest when they first came out, significant performance advancements have been made possible by the company’s drivers.
The Intel Battlemage G10 and G21 next-generation discrete GPUs, which have been observed in shipment manifests, are anticipated to tackle entry into the mid-range market.
They already know from the horse’s mouth that Intel is working on its next generation of discrete graphics processors, which it has revealed are being code-named Battlemage. The company is developing at least two graphics processing units, according to shipping excerpts.
Intel Battlemage GPUs
The shipping manifest fragments reveal that Intel is working on several GPUs specifically for the Battlemage G10 and G21 versions. The newest versions in Intel’s graphics processor lineup include the ACM-G11, an entry-level graphics processor, and the ACM-G10, a midrange market positioning and higher-end silicon graphics processor. As a result, the names Battlemage-G10 and Battlemage-G21, which are aimed at entry-level PCs and bigger chips, respectively, match the present names for Intel’s Arc graphics processors. Both stand a strong chance of making their list of the best graphics cards if they deliver acceptable levels of performance.
The Battlemage-G10 and Battlemage-G21 are being shipped for research and development, as stated in the shipping manifest (which makes sense considering these devices’ current status). The G21 GPU is currently in the pre-qualification (pre-QS) stage of semiconductor development; the G10’s current status is unknown.
Pre-qualification silicon is used to assess a chip’s performance, reliability, and functionality. Pre-QS silicon is typically not suitable for mass production. However, if the silicon device is functional and meets the necessary performance, power, and yield requirements, mass production of the device could be feasible. For example, AMD’s Navi 31 GPU, if it meets the developer’s objectives, is mass-produced in its A0 silicon phase.
They rarely get to cover Intel’s developments with its next-generation graphics cards, but they frequently cover Nvidia’s, as they did recently with the GeForce RTX 50-series graphics processors, which should appear on their list of the best graphics cards based on industry leaks.
This generation, Nvidia seems to be leading the laptop discrete GPU market, but Battlemage, with Intel’s ties to OEMs and PC manufacturers, might give the green team some serious competition in the next round. According to the cargo manifest, there will be intense competition among AMD’s RDNA 4, Intel’s Battlemage, and Nvidia’s Blackwell in the forthcoming desktop discrete GPU market.
Qualities:
Targeting Entry-Level and Mid-Range: The ACM-G11 and ACM-G10, the successors to the existing Intel Arc Alchemist series, are probably meant for gamers on a tight budget or seeking good performance in games that aren’t AAA.
Better Architecture: Compared to the Xe-HPG architecture found in Intel’s existing Arc GPUs, readers can anticipate an upgrade in this next-generation design. Better performance per watt and even new features could result from this.
Emphasis on Power Efficiency: These GPUs may place equal emphasis on efficiency and performance because power consumption is a significant element in laptops and tiny form factor PCs.
Potential specifications (derived from the existing Intel Arc lineup and leaks):
Production Process: TSMC 6nm (or, if research continues, a more sophisticated node)
Unknown is the core configuration. Possibly less cores than Battlemage models at higher levels (should any exist).
Memory: GDDR6 is most likely used, yet its bandwidth and capacity are unclear.
Power Consumption: Designed to use less power than GPUs with higher specifications.
FAQS
What are the Battlemage G10 and G21 GPUs?
Intel is developing the Battlemage G10 and G21, next-generation GPUs that should provide notable gains in capabilities and performance over their predecessors.
What markets or segments are these GPUs targeting?
Targeting a wide range of industries, including professional graphics, gaming, and data centres, the Battlemage G10 and G21 GPUs are expected to meet the demands of both consumers and businesses.
