Intel Perseveres in Desktop GPU Market as New Battlemage Models Emerge in Shipping Manifests

Intel continues its march into the discrete GPU market, with recent shipping manifests shedding light on their efforts to develop new models in the Battlemage line, as well as a mysterious new SKU.

Recently, Intel officially moved forward with their work on the Battlemage “BMG-G31” variant, suggesting they might be gearing up for something aimed at AI or professional tasks. Last year, Intel caught everyone off guard with two new Battlemage GPUs, the Arc B580 and B570. These cards quickly drew immense interest because rivals like NVIDIA and AMD hadn’t released their next-gen solutions yet. As we approach the end of the second quarter, some assumed Intel had taken a backseat in the desktop GPU game, but newly surfaced details indicate otherwise.

One Twitter user, Haze, stirred intrigue with a post that drew attention to the BMG-G31. According to shipping manifests, this version boasts superior silicon and could potentially encompass 24-32 Xe2 cores, a 256-bit memory interface, and 16 GB of GDDR6 memory. Despite some rumors of the BMG-G31 being scrapped, categorization in the manifests as being for “R&D purposes” suggests it might be aimed at AI or professional markets rather than consumers.

Furthermore, another intriguing variant has emerged in the manifests, dubbed the BMG “C32”. The name itself raised eyebrows, blending Battlemage and Celestial initials. Industry watchers suspect this model could be a revamped version of the BMG-G31, with @mikdt providing insights into its potential alignment with the Battlemage family. Still, there’s uncertainty surrounding whether these GPUs might find their way into desktops.

As Intel undertakes this venture, they also turn their sights toward the Xe3 “Celestial” architecture, expected to feature in upcoming Panther Lake SoCs. With the company’s focus shifting under new leadership, it seems plausible that Intel is honing in on AI-centric GPU releases. Watch this space to see how Intel’s strategy unfolds in the months to come.