Intel has removed all ‘Q1 2022’ messages on its own website on the page about the Arc GPUs. That happened in several places on that page. This seems to suggest that the introduction of these discrete GPUs, which are separate from the CPU, is being pushed back a bit.
The Arc GPU page of the Intel website now only talks about a 2022 arrival, while earlier the first quarter of this year was mentioned there, Videocardz noted. The text Q1 2022 also came into focus during the part of Intel’s CES keynote that talked about the Arc GPUs. The current quarter was previously mentioned by Intel as the period in which the Arc GPUs should come on the market.
It seems increasingly plausible that the entire introduction of these GPUs has been postponed a bit, Videocardz speculates. The website also cites previous rumors that Arc won’t be launched until the second quarter, and thinks the current quarter may only be a limited launch purely for laptops. The Arc GPUs will also be available for desktops and as separate video cards, but when that will happen is still unclear.
On Tuesday, Intel made it clear that it has already started supplying its Arc GPUs to manufacturers of PCs and laptops. The company listed a number of fifty laptops and desktops with these GPUs that would be released soon. Intel gave little further information, such as release dates, specifications or prices. During the keynote, Intel also showed an Alienware X17 laptop and a Lenovo Yoga convertible that would be equipped with an Arc GPU, although it was not said which exact GPUs were involved.
Intel’s first-generation Arc GPUs will be named Alchemist. There are rumors that talk about all kinds of variations and different levels of performance. This includes entry-level models that have to deliver performance that equals the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650, up to high-end video cards that would be on the level of the Nvidia RTX 3070. The Arc GPUs receive support for hardware ray tracing and Intel’s Xe Super Sampling technology. This XeSS technology is a counterpart to Nvidia’s DLSS and AMD’s FSR and is intended for upscaling games.
Image from Intel on the roadmap of the Arc GPUs.