It seems the whispers about Intel bowing out of the discrete GPU market are starting to fade, thanks to some exciting new leaks about their upcoming Arc Celestial "Xe3" and higher-end Battlemage "G31" chips popping up online.
Intel Holds Strong with Xe3 & Xe4 Development, Reveals Initial Arc Celestial "Xe3" & Battlemage "G31" GPUs
Intel is gearing up to launch its Battlemage B-Series lineup, which features the Arc B580 and Arc B570 graphics cards. Aimed at the mainstream market, especially in the under $250 price range, these cards are set to compete with both current and future offerings from AMD and NVIDIA.
The strategy is clear: Intel is going for the broad gaming audience with its Arc Battlemage lineup. It’s a move similar to what AMD plans to do with its upcoming RDNA 4 "Radeon RX 8000" series. But here’s a kicker—Intel might have some surprises up its sleeve.
A recent tweet by Tomasz Gawroński hinted at major non-research and development shipments from Malaysia, suggesting that a more upscale B-Series card might just be around the corner. This news aligns with recent shipping documents spotted on NBD.ltd, confirming the resurgence of the Intel BMG-G31 SoC. It seems there’s a solid chance a more robust B-Series GPU could make its debut soon.
The current Arc B580 and B570 GPUs are built on the BMG-G21 SoC, while the G31 SoC reportedly will leverage a greater number of Xe2 cores. These could find their way into upcoming B770 models. Intel’s Tom Petersen even teased this on "The Full Nerd" show, sparking speculation that we could see a more powerful addition to the Arc B-series down the line.
On the Celestial front, or Xe3 as Intel dubs it, various "Panther Falls" GPUs have been documented—a phase name used internally for Celestial products. As noted by Twitter user @Haze2K1, these are all part of the Arc series. Intel has confirmed its engineering teams have completed work on Celestial, with full steam now ahead on Druid "Xe4" developments.
In a further Twitter revelation by @Haze2K1, it was pointed out that just as the B-Series GPUs are set to be unveiled, the development of C-Series discrete GPUs is also underway. Each series has a codename that gives a nod to a waterfall, like Alchemist being "Niagara Falls" and Battlemage "Churchill Falls."
Interestingly, Tomasz Gawroński has identified another Intel Arc Celestial discrete GPU, thought to be a 128 EU or 16 Xe3 model. This is intriguing because Intel’s upcoming Panther Lake processors will be equipped with Arc Xe3 GPUs sporting up to 12 Xe3 cores, which suggests this could be an opening tier discrete option.
These chain of developments should firmly quash the rumors of Intel withdrawing from the Arc segment. With the launch of their second-generation Arc products and commitment to future-gen series, along with hints of premium-tier launches in the Battlemage line, Intel appears committed to cementing its position in the mainstream gaming market. Keep an eye out for further announcements from Intel at CES 2025—where we could get more insights into their discrete GPU strategies, alongside products like the B580 and B570 securing Intel’s footprint as a formidable competitor in this space.
