Intel to Launch Battlemage GPU in December

Newly leaked information has surfaced, further confirming rumors that Intel plans to launch its Battlemage GPU chip in December. A preview image of the Battlemage SoC shared by hardware investigator and leaker Tomasz Gawroński suggests that Intel’s Battlemage GPU may be released ahead of AMD's RDNA 4 and Nvidia's Blackwell architectures.

Notably, the Battlemage or Xe2 GPU will likely debut alongside Intel's Lunar Lake (Core Ultra 200V) chips. Since the launch of the Arc Alchemist discrete GPU (dGPU), Intel has been tight-lipped about the future of its Arc series, with some speculating that the company might scale back its efforts in this area.

However, recent reports highlight Intel's growing ambitions in the GPU market. Benchmark tests indicate that Intel has made significant progress, possibly catching up to AMD. If Battlemage can match AMD's RDNA 3.5 performance, the outlook for Intel's GPU lineup looks promising. RDNA 4, however, is expected to emphasize enhanced ray tracing (RT) performance, with potential hardware-based upgrades.

According to prior leaks, Intel is planning three Battlemage GPUs: Arc BMG-31, Arc BMG-20, and Arc BMG-G10, with the BMG-31 rumored to feature up to 32 Xe cores. In addition to the Xe2-HPG architecture for discrete graphics cards, Battlemage will reportedly include the Xe2-LPG architecture for integrated graphics. This would streamline driver development, reduce costs, and enhance compatibility.

If these leaks hold true and Intel can deliver Battlemage GPUs in significant quantities before the holiday season, it would provide a substantial first-mover advantage. For context, AMD's RDNA 4 and Nvidia's Blackwell (RTX 50) GPUs are still slated for release at the CES 2025 conference in January.