Suzanne Humphries
Intel is introducing a forthcoming line of consumer-level high-performance GPUs and branding them as Intel Arc. The brand is set to encompass both the software and the hardware within the high-end discrete GPUs, in addition to multiple hardware generations.
The first, which we knew previously as DG2, now has the codename “Alchemist,” and is slated for release sometime in Q1 2022. Soon to follow are the generations, including “Battlemage,” “Celestial,” and “Druid,” keeping in (alphabetical) line with Intel’s gaming-centric focus. In the video below, Intel even shows off the power of the pre-production prototype silicon in action with games like Metro Exodus, PUBG, and Psychonauts 2.
You’ll get to see the ARC GPUs in action in both desktop and laptop devices in 2022, which suggests Intel’s intent to compete with Nvidia and AMD. The GPUs will be able to handle tasks like real-time ray tracking, mesh shading, video upscaling, and variable rate shading.
We may also potentially see Intel’s promised AI-accelerated super sampling. This would (also) likely aim to compete with similar technology from both Nvidia’s Deep Learning Super Sampling and AMD’s FidelityFX Super Resolution, though the latter only relies on spatial upscaling, not AI upscaling. What these various technologies aim to do is upscale old low-res games in the name of having smoother frame rates without negatively affecting image quality.
Intel’s upcoming Arc GPUs will be based on its Xe-HPG microarchitecture, which combines various aspects of the work the company has contributed to its Xe-LP, HP, and HPC microarchitectures. We can’t wait to see Intel Arc in action or how it handles intensive tasks like gaming, streaming, and editing (and we’re crossing our fingers that everyone can get one before the bots do).
via The Verge
