Summary

  • Intel may be preparing to release high-end Battlemage GPUs.
  • Leaked shipping manifest hints at production of G31 silicon.
  • Intel's upcoming presentation at Computex could reveal more details.

Despite launching the Arc B580 to rave reviews just a few months ago, we haven't heard much about Intel's Battlemage GPUs since. With a turnover in leadership and yet another round of layoffs, rumors floated around that Intel would can its discrete graphics business. A leaked shipping manifest suggests otherwise.

The shipping manifest shows the G31 silicon reportedly heading to Vietnam, where Intel produces its Limited Edition Arc graphics cards as well as some of its Core Ultra desktop processors. We haven't seen this chip in action yet, as both the Arc B580 and Arc B570 use the BMG-G21 die. If Intel is going to release high-end Battlemage GPUs, however, this leaked shipping manifest suggests it'll be soon.

High-end Intel Battlemage GPUs could be on the way

It appears Intel is gearing up for production

This isn't the first time we've heard about the BMG-G31 die. It surfaced last year, with reports that the full die would contain 32 Xe cores; 60% more than the full BMG-G21 die that's available now. A couple of weeks back, the BMG-G31 appeared in a shipping manifest "for R&D purposes," and now, it's surfaced again, headed to Vietnam where Intel produces Limited Edition Arc graphics cards. A since-removed page on Intel's website briefly confirmed the existence of BMG-G31, but we haven't heard anything about the chip since.

Questions surrounding high-end Battlemage GPUs have been swirling since Intel first introduced the Arc B580. With its first-gen Alchemist cards, Intel led with the Arc A750 and A770, later releasing the lower-end Arc A580 for PC gamers on a tight budget. The fact that Intel led this generation with the Arc B580 suggests it has higher-end options in the tank. There's a natural question about where the Arc B770 and B750 are considering we have GPUs in that class designation from the previous generation.

Although the shipping manifest doesn't confirm anything, it strongly suggests Intel's Battlemage range isn't dead. Leakers claimed the BMG-G31 die was abandoned at some point last year, but it doesn't appear that's the case. If nothing else, Intel is exploring what a high-end Arc GPU would look like, potentially to gear up for its next-generation Celestial graphics architecture.

We should have more information soon. Computex kicks off in a few weeks, and Intel's Saurabh Kulkarni, vice president of Intel AI systems and GPU products, will give a presentation at the event. Intel's newly-appointed CEO Lip-Bu Tan will also reportedly host a dinner with industry insiders in Taiwan days before Computex. With Intel's next-gen Panther Lake chips slated to arrive in the second half of the year, Computex seems like the perfect time for Team Blue to bolster its GPU offerings. We'll just have to wait and see.