Intel assures us its Arc graphics cards are here to stay

Date:
Tue, 13 Sep 2022 10:27:52 +0000

Description:
An Intel exec has made it very clear that the rumors around Arc GPUs being ditched are just plain wrong.

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Intels discrete Arc GPUs have been the subject of a lot of speculation recently, including that the company might be shaping to cease its effort on this front or at least cut them back substantially. However, this is not the case, a top Intel exec has made clear on Twitter.

If you missed this one at the weekend, YouTuber Moores Law is Dead presented the case that it sounds like the Arc project, which kicked off with first-gen Alchemist cards, is in the serious rumored trouble, with one source going as far to use the word finished regarding the future of the graphics cards.

Raja Koduri, chief architect of the graphics division at Intel, tweeted to express dismay at these rumors, and that they dont help the team working hard to bring Arc graphics cards to market. we are about these rumors as well. They dont help the team working hard to bring these to market, they dont help the pc graphics community..one must wonder, who do they help?..we are still
in first gen and yes we had more obstacles than planned to ovecome, but we persisted September 12, 2022 See more

In a further tweet , Koduri pointed to a roadmap for Arc discrete shared in February 2022, and noted that Intel was continuing to carry out this strategy as planned. Namely pushing out Battlemage second-gen GPUs in 2023 to 2024,
and then Celestial after that, which will have a new architecture. Analysis:
A lengthy Arc ahead of us, with any luck

Funnily enough, the video Moores Law is Dead (MLID) uploaded at the weekend did comment on Koduris lack of mention of Arc gaming cards in recent times and a focus instead on data center products citing that as part of the
reason to be doubtful around the future of these graphics cards. And the
chief architect has certainly corrected that in no uncertain terms, also tweeting about the imminent launch of the top-end Arc A7 series GPUs, showing a card undergoing volume validation in a Toronto lab.

Intel is obviously fighting back against what it feels are unfair rumors
here, and the message previously conveyed by Intels Tom Petersen just a couple of weeks back is that Arc discrete isnt going anywhere. Moreover, Koduri makes it crystal clear that Intels plans and roadmap for the following two generations of GPUs after Alchemist have not been changed.

Of course, we always need to add our own skepticism not just to what MLID and the other hardware leakers out there are letting us know that theyre hearing from the grapevine, but also to what Intel is telling us. But to be fair,
Team Blue has been pretty open and honest about the missteps with Alchemist Petersens interviews of late have been very frank and Koduri has taken a strong stance here in the face of the cancelation rumors. All of this lends more weight to the positive prospects for the future of Arc.

Ultimately, we dont know how things are going to pan out, and part of the problem is the rocky launch weve seen with Alchemist thus far makes it easy
to fall prey to pessimism. But nobody wants Arc discrete to fail not us, or the gamers out there, or the hardware leakers. Everyone wants more choice in the GPU market, because in recent years, weve seen what a volatile place it can be, prone to suffering from nasty stock shortages followed by the inevitable price gouging.

A third player can only help ease those kinds of pressures, even if
ultimately MLID turns out to be partially correct, and maybe only lower-end GPUs come through from Intel. Even that would still be a huge plus point, as typically, the budget GPU market is where Nvidia in particular ends up
playing a weaker hand.

Were certainly keeping our fingers firmly crossed for the future of Arc GPUs, and that we will indeed see not just Celestial, but Druid and beyond and the latest noises from Intel make us feel more hopeful than we did at the weekend.



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/news/intel-assures-us-its-arc-graphics-cards-are-her e-to-stay/


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