Image: Intel
Intel has given an update on the timeline for its long-awaited entry into the discrete graphics game: Arc GPUs for laptops are set to ship soon in Q1 2022 (where theyโll slot in neatly on machines with Intelโs new 12th Gen Alder Lake H-series CPUs that it launched at CES 2022). Arc desktop GPUs will still have a bit of a wait ahead of them: Intel says that they wonโt be arriving until sometime in Q2, while workstation graphics cards wonโt hit until Q3.
Intel has quietly announced a new, upcoming service for its Arc GPUs โ โProject Endgame,โ which will allow customers to stream access Intelโs graphics cards for an โalways-accessible, low-latency computing experience.โ The exact mechanisms here arenโt totally clear, but it sounds like Intel will allow customers to rent GPUs in the cloud, or even a full-fledged front-end gaming service like Nvidiaโs GeForce Now subscription.
There are almost no details yet on Project Endgame, including things like what kind of GPU access itโll give customers, how much itโll cost, or whether itโll even be a gaming-focused product. But Intel is saying that itโll arrive sometime later this year, so weโll presumably find out more soon. The fact that Intel is planning some sort of cloud streaming service is also the latest sign of confidence that the company has in its discrete GPUs.
Youโve all been patient, and the first wave of #IntelArc GPUs are launching soon for notebooks. Desktops and workstations will soon follow! https://t.co/rXgX9dGEL1 pic.twitter.com/F6ubSUzSHM
โ Intel Graphics (@IntelGraphics) February 17, 2022
Additionally, Intel announced that itโs started architecture work on its third-generation of Arc GPUs, codenamed โCelestialโ. (For reference, Alchemist is the first generation of GPUs thatโs set to arrive this year, while a second generation of hardware, โBattlemageโ, is already in the works). Most notably, though, is that the third-gen Celestial GPUs are said to offer โa product that will address the ultra-enthusiast segmentโ โ meaning that Intel could be setting its sights on taking on the graphics cards like Nvidiaโs flagship 3090 Ti or AMDโs RX 6900 XT.
That said, itโs probably worth tempering expectations: after all, Intel still has yet to release its first-generation GPUs yet, and itโll presumably be some time before itsโ third-generation graphics cards are ready for market.