Intel today released the latest version of Arc GPU Graphics Drivers. Version 101.6972 Beta comes with optimization for "Killing Floor 3," "Valorant" Unreal Engine 5 Update, and "Wuchang: Fallen Feathers." The drivers also improve performance for "Rematch" for Arc B-series discrete GPUs, with up to 12% seen at 1440p with Ultra settings, and up to 9% seen at 1080p with Ultra settings.

Among the game-related issues fixed are a problem with "Returnal" that causes it to crash during gameplay when ray tracing is enabled; "Fragpunk" experiencing black screen corruption on certain textures; and MS Flight Simulator 2024 experiencing an intermittent crash in free flight mode. For Arc "Battlemage" based iGPUs on Core Ultra Series 2 processors, a bug has been fixed for PugetBench for Photoshop, where it runs into errors during the benchmark; and Topaz Video AI experiencing lower than expected performance. Grab the drivers from the link below.

DOWNLOAD: Intel Arc GPU Graphics Drivers 101.6972 Beta

Intel GPU-based Linux gamers are about to receive a performance uplift. According to the latest update to DXVK, a Vulkan-based translation layer for DirectX 8/9/10/11, Intel's "Battlemage" dGPUs and "Lunar Lake" Arc iGPUs now support memory defragmentation by default, helping Intel GPUs reduce VRAM usage and increase performance, which provides a smoother gaming experience when using the DXVK translation layer. In version 2.7, DXVK forces discrete GPUs to adhere to driver-set memory budgets whenever possible and dynamically frees unused resources to system memory when applications place a significant VRAM load. DXVK v2.7 release notes state that this will be particularly beneficial to Unity Engine and VRAM-constrained titles. This optimization will also enable higher texture quality in game settings, maintaining the same performance as before, and further building upon the memory optimization.

As a critical component of Valve's Proton software stack, this DXVK update also provides Intel-based handhelds, such as the MSI Claw, with increased performance when running SteamOS. Given that we measured a sizable crowd, comprising 3.4% of all handheld users, playing with MSI Claw, many handheld gamers considering running SteamOS on their device will find this DXVK update quite welcome.Here is a complete DXVK v2.7 changelog.

More confirmations regarding the final release of the Intel Arc "Battlemage" B770 GPU have landed, this time with the update of the popular AIDA64 tool. Just days after support for BMG-G31 GPUs, supposedly the SKUs behind the higher-end B770 and B750 models, has landed in the open-source Mesa driver, diagnostic tools are next. In the latest AIDA64 beta version 7.99.7817, FinalWire has added an interesting "GPU information for Intel Battlemage (BMG-G31)" section as a feature update. This means that the tool can now officially recognize Intel's upcoming GPUs and allow users to perform diagnostics. Additionally, the tool also supports the now finalized PCI Express 7.0 controllers and devices, as PCI-SIG has ratified the final specifications of the PCIe Gen 7 standard.

With this confirmation, higher-end Intel Arc B770 and B750 GPUs are getting more credibility for an actual release. We expect to hear more about it in the coming weeks as the rumored Q4 launch nears. Earlier rumors suggest that Intel will pair 32 Xe2 cores for the B770 model with 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus. Will Intel satisfy the needs of Arc graphics gamers who have been waiting for a higher-end card remains to be seen. Drop your expectations in the comments, and let us know.

Intel has quietly submitted its patches for BMG-G31 GPU SKUs in the Mesa open-source graphics driver library. With IDs e220, e221, e222, and e223, Intel is gearing up the launch of its higher-end "Battlemage" B770. In the weeks leading up to Computex 2025, Intel dropped hints and unofficial leaks about new Arc Xe2 "Battlemage" desktop graphics cards, including rumors of a high-end B770 model and placeholder mentions of a B750 on Intel Japan's website. Fans were excited, but at the Taipei Nangang show, neither card appeared. Then Tweakers.net reported, based on unnamed insiders, that the Battlemage-based Arc B770 is real and expected to launch in November 2025, though plans could still change.

With 32 Xe2 cores for the B770, Intel plans to pair 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus. What is interesting is that Intel will use a PCIe 5.0 ×16 host bus, whereas the lower-end Arc B580 and Arc B570 use a PCIe 4.0 ×8 host bus. A faster PCIe standard is likely to follow as the higher-end Arc B770 yields significantly more compute bandwidth, so we will have to wait and see what Intel has prepared. If the rumored Q4 launch manifests, it will give gamers an interesting choice right around the holidays.

Within the discrete graphics card sector, NVIDIA achieved a remarkable 92% share of the add-in board (AIB) GPU market in the first quarter of 2025, according to data released by Jon Peddie Research (JPR). This represents an 8.5% increase compared to NVIDIA's previous position. By contrast, AMD's share contracted to just 8%, down 7.3 points, while Intel's presence effectively disappeared, falling to 0% after losing 1.2 points. JPR reported that AIB shipments reached 9.2 million units during Q1 2025 despite desktop CPU shipments declining to 17.8 million units. The firm projects that the AIB market will face a compound annual decline of 10.3% from 2024 to 2028, although the installed base of discrete GPUs is expected to grow to 130 million units by the end of the forecast period. By 2028, an estimated 86% of desktop PCs are expected to feature a dedicated graphics card.

NVIDIA's success this quarter can be attributed to its launch of the RTX 50 series GPUs. In contrast, AMD's RDNA 4 GPUs were released significantly later in Q1. Additionally, Intel's Battlemage Arc GPUs, which were launched in Q4 2024, have struggled to gain traction, likely due to limited availability and low demand in the mainstream market. The broader PC GPU market, which includes integrated solutions, contracted by 12% from the previous quarter, with a total of 68.8 million units shipped. Desktop graphics unit sales declined by 16%, while notebook GPUs decreased by 10%. Overall, NVIDIA's total GPU share rose by 3.6 points, AMD's dipped by 1.6 points, and Intel's declined by 2.1 points. Meanwhile, data center GPUs bucked the overall downward trend, rising by 9.6% as enterprises continue to invest in artificial intelligence applications. On the CPU side, notebook processors accounted for 71% of shipments, with desktop CPUs comprising the remaining 29%.

Intel today released the latest version of its Arc GPU Graphics Drivers. Version 101.6877 Beta fixes an issue where the audio solution connected to the iGPU (eg: HDMI or DP passthrough audio) experiences audio glitches or lower than expected performance. This was an issue noticed on handheld game consoles, powered by Core Ultra 200V "Lunar Lake" processors. This is the only issue fixed with this release, there are no new game optimization. The company identified a list of issues specific to Arc "Battlemage" discrete GPUs, "Alchemist" discrete GPUs, and the iGPUs of Core Ultra "Meteor Lake" and Core Ultra "Lunar Lake" and "Arrow Lake" processors.

DOWNLOAD: Intel Arc GPU Graphics Drivers 101.6877 Beta

Back in January, keen trackers of internal Team Blue developments stumbled upon encouraging signs of new Arc Xe2 "Battlemage" graphics card activity. Fast-forward to Computex 2025; where Intel and involved board partners unveiled Pro-grade B60 and B50 workstation card products. In the interim, rumors of a canceled "BMG-G31" GPU-based gaming series turned up online. Leading up to last week's important trade event, Team Blue's social media accounts were actively engaging with the community—mostly answering queries regarding a speculated Arc Xe2 "B770" model. According to secretive show floor banter, higher-end B-series gaming graphics cards could be lined up for a fourth quarter launch (this year).

Freshly discovered "BMG" identifiers were highlighted by Lasse Kärkkäinen—this latest tip-off was directed at GawroskiT, Haze2K1 and x86deadandback. At various points in 2024 and 2025, these veteran industry observers have unearthed crucial "Battlemage" inside track information. Team Blue's Mesa graphics driver for Linux was updated late last week; Kärkkäinen's attention was drawn by 0xe220, 0xe221, 0xe222 to 0xe223 device codes. These IDs seemingly exist in a separate category, distinct from "BMG-21." Intel's B580 and B570 cards are based on "Battlemage" BMG-21 GPU die foundations. According to Wccftech's expert opinion: "at least two of these listings belong to Intel's recently-unveiled Battlemage 'ARC Pro' variants...The rest of the two device IDs will belong to newer models, and the one we anticipate to be unveiled is the Arc B770, since Intel 'indirectly' confirmed its release at Computex, but this will occur in the latter part of the year, presumably at Intel Innovation 2025." Inevitably, the Arc Xe2 "Battlemage" family will be succeeded by "Celestial"—recent leaks have suggested development of Xe3 reaching a pre-silicon validation phase.

In the run-up to Computex 2025, Intel sent out mixed messages about the future of Arc Xe2 "Battlemage" desktop graphics cards. A combination of first-party teasers and "official leaks" (courtesy of AIBs) indicated an (eventual) introduction of professional B-series products. PC hardware enthusiasts were looking forward to a possible unveiling of higher-end gaming cards; the rumor mill has floated a "B770" option in recent times. Industry observers detected further encouraging pre-release signs; a "B750" identifier was discovered on Intel Japan's website—likely existing as placeholder material. Team Blue's social media account drummed up additional hype, prior to the commencement of last week's key trade event.

The TechPowerUp crew and other media outlets did not stumble upon any Intel Arc Xe2 B750 or B770 specimens at the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center. According to a mid-visit Tweakers.net article, several unnamed figures (likely board partner company representatives) divulged inside track knowledge during Computex 2025. The online publication outlined a smattering of details: "sources close to Intel confirm the existence of the Arc B770 video card. According to them, the introduction is planned for the second half of this year. The card is expected to appear in the fourth quarter, although the planning can of course still change. Intel is working on an Arc B770 video card based on the 'Battlemage' architecture. Tweakers was able to confirm this with multiple sources during Computex. So far, Intel has only released lower-positioned B570 and B580 video cards with this architecture." Now defunct product roadmaps had the "Battlemage" series wrapped up by 2024, but delays and other factors have allegedly caused major timeline slippages. An industry expert claimed that a larger "BMG-G31" GPU development project was closed down at some point late last year, but fresher production activities have generated renewed beliefs that the "Battlemage" gaming line will expand beyond "cheaper" tiers.

Intel at the 2025 Computex unveiled its Arc Pro "Battlemage" line of graphics cards powered by its latest Xe2 graphics architecture, and based on its 5 nm BMG-G21 silicon. The Arc Pro B50 is targeted squarely for professional visualization and graphics workstations; and comes with 12 GB of memory. The Arc Pro B60, on the other hand, has 24 GB of memory and has additional use-cases in the area of AI inferencing. Unlike AMD and NVIDIA, Intel is going to market for its Arc Pro B-series with board partner-based custom designs. These partners include ASRock, Gunnir, Maxsun, Sparkle, Onix, Senao, and Lanner.

As a pro-vis solution, the Arc Pro B50 series comes with a comprehensive set of certifications and validation by leading content creation applications. Intel is working on bolstering its AI inferencing product stack, with the debut of the new Project Battlematrix Linux software stack, and workstation platform, which enables up to 8 Arc Pro GPUs with 192 GB of memory between them, for accelerating 70 billion+ parameter models.

Late last week, Intel's social media account dropped a major hint about a new family of Arc Pro GPUs turning up at Computex 2025. At the time, insiders shared very basic details about a rumored "B60" workstation graphics card—likely derived from familiar Xe2 "Battlemage" silicon. Team Blue staffers have recently teased a mysterious "B770" gaming solution, but this "higher -end" desktop option could emerge well after next week's important trade show (in Taipei, Taiwan). Intel and its board partners seem to be readying productivity-focused cards; theoretically spun-off from the existing B580 12 GB model.

April/May leaks have indicated pairings of Team Blue's "BMG-G21" GPU die and 24 GB of GDDR6 VRAM. On Monday, industry observers noted the very fresh registration of Maxsun Arc B580 "iCraft 24G" and "iCraft 24G OC" SKUs. Days later, VideoCardz has stumbled upon evidence of an "Arc Pro B60" product category. At the time of writing, this entry remains empty—within the manufacturer's "Intel" card inventory. Active "Arc B580" and "Arc B570" categories direct you to already launched (12 GB) iCraft and Milestone models. According to slightly older reports, Maxsun is expected to introduce/launch "gaming" Arc B580 24 GB variants at some point after Computex 2025. The immediate focus—for Intel and participating AIBs—seems to be an imminent unveiling of "Arc Pro B-series" cards.

The status of Intel's Arc Xe2 "Battlemage" generation is still an unknown quantity—recent leaks have alluded to a repeat rollout of existing GPU designs, albeit in the field of productivity. Team Blue has hinted about upcoming second-gen professional-grade cards, but tech enthusiasts are still fantasizing about more potent gaming options. Certain industry watchdogs reckon that Intel's graphics division has moved onto getting Arc Xe3 "Celestial" discrete solutions out of the door. Sections of a speculated C-series could act as natural gap fillers; taking the place of "absent" B750 and B770 options. These theories were buoyed earlier on in May; with insiders linking "Celestial" to a pre‑silicon validation platform.

Since late last year, it has been very quiet on the Arc Xe4 "Druid" development front; older "Visual Compute" roadmaps (now completely irrelevant) alluded to a 2025+ launch of fourth-gen designs. x86deadandback has stumbled on new-ish evidence of Xe4 "behind-the-scenes" movement—yesterday's social media post included a (data mined) screenshot of Dawn LUCI CQ activities (dated "Jan 16"). At the time, company engineers seemed to be actively working on "Gen 15/Xe4" (aka "Druid"). x86deadandback's update aligns with official (December 2024) statements—back then, Tom "TAP" Petersen confirmed that his hardware colleagues had polished off "Xe3 IP," and were already shifted onto "the next thing."

If you recall NVIDIA's GTX TITAN Z GPU with two GPU dies and an impressive 6 GB of memory, it was a big deal at the time and quite an interesting engineering solution. Today, thanks to sources close to VideoCardz, we learn that Intel's Arc "Battlemage" B580 could get the next dual GPU, dual VRAM treatment. According to the source, an unnamed Intel add-in board partner is preparing to launch a GPU with two B580 dies and 48 GB of VRAM. This means that the 24 GB VRAM version of the Arc B580 we saw in EEC filings is basically confirmed, and that some models will be out for display very soon. While the BMG-G21 chip offers up to 20 Xe cores and 2,560 shader units, a dual BMG-G21 configuration will yield 40 Xe cores and 5,120 shader units working in tandem with 48 GB of VRAM.

Clearly, this model is mostly tailored to AI enthusiasts. No game (thankfully) requires 48 GB of VRAM for now, but it is still nonetheless an interesting solution to see. It has been a while since we got something like a TITAN Z, even in high-end form factors. There is a rumored Intel Arc PRO A60/B60 card carrying a B580 die with 24 GB of VRAM, tailored for local AI workloads and professional visualization. This GPU could be the base for the newly rumored dual B580, 48 GB SKU from an unnamed Intel AIB partner. We expect to hear more details at Computex, which is now just a week away!

Maxsun's parent company has quietly registered new 24 GB versions of Intel's Arc B580 graphics card with the EEC. While regulatory filings often cover placeholder or speculative hardware, this submission lines up with ongoing rumors about a high-memory "Battlemage" model aimed at both gamers and professionals. Back in December and January, Intel launched the Arc B580 and B570 GPUs, bringing the Battlemage architecture to desktops just a few months after "Lunar Lake" appeared on laptops. Those first cards came with 12 GB of GDDR6 memory, a surprisingly generous amount for graphics cards selling under $300, and they helped establish Intel as a real contender in the mainstream GPU market. Since then, chatter about a 24 GB version has never died down. The story gained weight when board partner Sparkle briefly hinted at such a variant and then retracted the comment under NDA obligations. Further fueling speculation, a Sparkle representative in China discussed the planned "B580 24 GB" during a March social-media exchange.

Now, Maxsun's EEC filing lists two models called "iCraft 24G" and "iCraft 24G OC," and those names match what Sparkle first mentioned. There's no guarantee these cards will actually hit store shelves, but the matching details and timing suggest Intel may be testing the waters for a memory-heavy Arc B580. That would make sense given recent leaks about an Arc PRO A60 workstation card also packing 24 GB of memory. Under the hood, the Arc B580's BMG-G21 chip offers up to 20 Xe cores and 2,560 shader units, putting it in the same ballpark as NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 4060. With Computex just days away, Intel will finally reveal whether these high-memory Arc B580 cards, or perhaps even bigger Battlemage-based workstation GPUs, are coming our way. Additionally, enthusiasts are keeping an eye on the rumored Arc B770, which is expected next quarter and likely to be detailed at Computex alongside Intel's broader Battlemage and upcoming Xe3 "Celestial" roadmap.

Intel is officially stepping back from its Deep Link suite of technologies. The confirmation came through a company representative on GitHub, confirming that active development has ceased. This follows a period when Intel quietly stopped highlighting Deep Link in newer offerings, such as its "Battlemage" GPUs. While the features might still work for those currently using Deep Link, don't expect any future updates or official assistance from Intel's support channels. If you cast your mind back to late 2020, you might recall Intel launching Deep Link. The core idea was to get Intel CPUs and their dedicated Arc GPUs working more effectively in tandem. To tap into this, you needed a specific setup: an 11th, 12th, or 13th Generation Intel CPU alongside an Arc Alchemist GPU. The package featured key tools: Dynamic Power Share for optimizing power between the CPU and GPU, Stream Assist to offload streaming to integrated graphics, Hyper Encode for faster video encoding, and Hyper Compute to accelerate AI tasks using OpenVINO.

These were designed to give a leg up to applications like OBS, DaVinci Resolve, and Handbrake. However, the writing may have been on the wall for Deep Link. Intel's "Meteor Lake" chips, which arrived in late 2023, weren't on the compatibility list, hinting that development had already wound down. Getting these features to perform reliably wasn't always straightforward, with users, like the one on GitHub who raised the initial question, reporting difficulties even with supported hardware. A user tried running Core Ultra 200S with Battlemage in OBS, facing issues not by the software, but by Intel's drivers. The general thinking is that Intel might have viewed Deep Link as a bit of a niche feature, possibly concluding that the continued effort and investment, especially with the need for validation with each software vendor, wasn't paying off. As for what's next, Intel hasn't announced a direct successor to these specific integrated features.

Earlier in the week, reports indicated the potential introduction of an Intel Xe2 "Battlemage" B770 gaming graphics card at Computex 2025. Last night, a Team Blue tweet confirmed forthcoming product unveilings: "new Intel Arc Pro GPUs are on the way. See you in Taipei!" In the months leading up to this important trade event, industry watchdogs have drummed up speculation about "Battlemage's" future (or fate). Whispers of 24 GB VRAM-equipped variants emerged late last year—around late January, these theories were connected to an official leak: "3 new PCI IDs for BMG."

Unsurprisingly, VideoCardz has weighed in with some new inside track info—they propose that one of Intel's upcoming professional options will be an "Arc Pro B60 24 GB" model, aka "Developer Edition" (an alleged in-house reference). Despite Sparkle HQ downplaying recent "rogue claims," a company rep (in China) alluded to a possible May/June release of their own custom 24 GB "Battlemage" productivity-oriented card. VideoCardz has picked up on rumors, regarding the "Arc Pro B60's" internal setup. They propose Team Blue's selection of the familiar "BMG-G21" GPU; as used by their Arc Xe2 B580 12 GB and B570 10 GB designs. According to an unnamed inside source, this professional/workstation variant will stick with the usual 192-bit memory interface. Intel's Computex 2025 new product teaser provided a big clue about the speculated "B60" model's cooling solution.

Intel appears ready to broaden its Arc "Battlemage" lineup with a new, more powerful desktop graphics card likely to be called the Arc B770, potentially arriving as soon as next quarter. Until now, Team Blue has introduced only two Xe2 Battlemage models, the B570 (10 GB) and B580 (12 GB), both of which earned praise for solid performance at accessible price points. Enthusiasts have long speculated about successors like the B750, B770, and even a B780, but Intel shifted its public focus to upcoming AI PC processors after the B570 launch, leaving GPU fans uncertain which designs would materialize. Recent shipping manifests uncovered a "BMG‑G31" GPU die en route to Intel's Vietnam assembly plant, the same site that produced limited‑edition B570 and B580 cards, while insider Haze2K1's documents hint at a "B7XX" special‑edition series. Simultaneously, chatter about a 24 GB Developer Edition based on the earlier BMG‑G21 die suggests Intel is also eyeing workstation and creative‑professional markets.

A well-known tipster, OneRaichu, has further fueled excitement by reporting that the Arc B770 could pack between 24 and 32 Xe2 compute units, a 256‑bit memory interface, and 16 GB of GDDR6, positioning it squarely against rival xx60‑series models and promising a meaningful boost in gaming and compute workloads. Beyond Battlemage, Intel's next‑generation graphics architecture, Xe3 "Celestial," has reached pre‑silicon validation. According to Intel engineer Tom Petersen and corroborating industry leaks, Celestial's core media engines, Xe cores, XMX matrix units, and ray‑tracing hardware are fully designed and are now being tested in a hardware model to fine‑tune power consumption and clock speeds. With Computex 2025 kicking off in late May, Intel may at last clarify both its high‑end Battlemage refresh and the broader Celestial roadmap, potentially reshaping competition in the mainstream and next‑generation GPU markets.

Sparkle announced availability of its flagship custom-design Intel Arc B580 graphics card, the Sparkle B580 ROC Luna OC Ultra. The card derives its name from an all-white appearance, with white making up not just the cooler shroud and fan impellers, but also the PCB solder-mask underneath. The card's design appears to balance elements to appeal to both gamers and creators. It comes with a 2.5-slot thick design that's at least an inch taller than what constitutes full-height. It uses an aluminium fin-stack heatsink that's ventilated by a pair of 90 mm fans.

The Sparkle Arc B580 ROC Luna OC Ultra comes with the company's highest factory overclock for the B580, with a max boost frequency of 2800 MHz compared to 2670 MHz reference, and 2740 MHz of its Titan OC graphics card. It also comes with increased power limits of 210 W, compared to 190 W reference. It draws power from two 8-pin PCIe power connectors. The company didn't reveal pricing, but we expect it to be between the $250-300 mark.

Intel has only released two Arc Xe2 "Battlemage" desktop models: the B580 12 GB and B570 10 GB graphics cards. So far, these lower priced options have been warmly welcomed by reviewers and buyers alike—but gaming GPU enthusiasts are still actively clamoring for more potent second-gen "Battlemage" variants. The collective status of theorized "B750, B770, and (fancifully) B780" SKUs is frustratingly unclear. Intel has not generated any official new product noise since the launch of their B570 design, earlier this year—recent big announcements have focused on next-gen "AI PC" processor lines. A series of vague leaks have indicated cancelations and then revivals of speculated mid-to-high-end Arc Xe2 discrete cards.

As of late, a larger "BMG-G31" GPU identifier has appeared in shipping manifests—a previous leak pointed to "prototype" units being moved between company facilities. Yesterday, Haze2K1 shared another extract from NBD inventory documents—crucially, they believe that these items are heading to a crucial manufacturing plant in Vietnam. This location is/was tasked with the assembling of first-party B570 and B580 Limited Edition products. Fresh conjecture suggests that "B7XX" Limited Edition cards are in the pipeline, but current circumstances are still hazy. VideoCardz reckons that a "Developer Edition" 24 GB model is still in active development, but this rumored workstation/productivity-oriented card could be based on Intel's readily available "BMG-G21" GPU die.

At the 2025 Shanghai Auto Show, Intel revealed its next-generation automotive system-on-chip lineup, unveiling two ambitious platforms, "Frisco Lake" and "Grizzly Lake". The company described these new designs as key steps toward fully software-driven vehicles, where much of the intelligence is handled by high-performance processors instead of dedicated hardware circuits. Intel said these chips would support advanced driver assistance and richer multimedia features. Intel's second generation Software Defined Vehicle, or SDV, Frisco Lake, is built on the upcoming "Panther Lake" architecture. The first volumes are expected in the first half of 2026, and TDP options will be among 20-65 W to meet different use cases. Intel says Frisco Lake will deliver ten times more AI performance and sixty-one percent better energy efficiency compared to the current Raptor Lake-based platform.

The new graphics block is based on the third-generation Xe architecture, known as "Celestial", replacing the older Battlemage design. Frisco Lake also supports twelve simultaneous camera inputs and up to two hundred and eighty audio channels. Linux kernel patch analysis also shows Frisco Lake cores are based on Panther Lake, confirming Intel's adaptation of its client CPUs for automotive use. Looking further ahead, Intel shared an early roadmap for its third-generation SDV platform, Grizzly Lake, which should arrive in the first half of 2027. Codenamed Monument Peak, these chips will use "Nova Lake" cores and may offer up to 32 efficiency-optimized cores along with an integrated Xe GPU capable of about seven TeraFLOPS. Additional features include support for six independent displays, twelve camera interfaces, and compliance with automotive safety standards.

Not long after Intel's launch of the Arc Xe2 "Battlemage" B580 12 GB graphics card design, insiders started generating noise about potential spin-offs bound for release in 2025. In theory, the speculated "B580 24 GB" variant could arrive as a workstation-oriented discrete graphics solution—possibly lined up as a next-gen entry within Team Blue's Arc Pro family. Three mysterious BMG (aka "Battlemage") PCI identifiers turned up at the end of January; sending online PC hardware debates into overdrive; one faction believed that Team Blue was readying fabled productivity-focused B-series cards—complete with enlarged pools of GDDR6 VRAM. Apparently, Sparkle's Chinese branch has provided comment on newer rumors—from March, according to VideoCardz. The Taiwanese manufacturer is a key Intel board partner in the field of Arc GPU-based graphics card products—across gaming and professional desktop lines. Unfortunately, the company's head office (in Taiwan) has dismissed "official" claims about a May/June launch of an unnamed 24 GB model. Sparkle's Chinese social media account engaged with members of the PC hardware community, and outlined an "original plan" to release something new within the second quarter of 2025—apparently the incoming card is "still being arranged."

VideoCardz has put a spotlight on a compelling Intel Community announcement—ten days ago, a site moderator (RonaldM_Intel) disclosed that company engineers are currently engaged in the investigation of a major Arc graphics card-related issue. At the beginning of 2025, Hardware Unboxed uploaded a video article (see below) that delved into the Arc Xe2 B580 graphics card design's "big problem." Going back several months, review outlets observed B580 sample cards leveraging lower than expected performance when paired with older generation processors. As summarized by VideoCardz's recent report; significant performance drops were tracked when test units were linked up with AMD Ryzen 5 2600 or 5600 CPUs—relative to a more modern rig; powered by Team Red's Ryzen 7 9800X3D. Additionally, evaluators observed worrying signs when B580 cards were tested on platforms based on Intel's 9th Gen Core i5-9600K processor.

Budget-conscious buyers have embraced Team Blue's new generation cards, with many participants upgrading older builds with Intel Arc B580 12 GB and B570 10 GB graphics cards (original launch MSRPs: $250 and $220, respectively). Given that many owners will be sticking with prior-gen processors, industry watchdogs have leveled criticism at Team Blue—the company has disappointed many, with an apparent lack of action. Months after the fact—likely after a healthy intake of community feedback—Intel has officially acknowledged these issues. As disclosed by RonaldM_Intel's announcement: "thank you for your patience. We are aware of reports of performance sensitivity in some games when paired with older generation processors. We have increased our platform coverage to include more configurations in our validation process, and we are continuing to investigate optimizations."

At the tail end of March, an interaction between Tomasz Gawroński (aka GawroskiT) and Jaykihn (jaykihn0) indicated that Intel had abandoned the development of higher-end Arc Xe2 "Battlemage" graphics cards—possibly back in late 2024. Months of silence—since the launch of pleasingly wallet-friendly B580 and B570 models—instilled a sense of unease within segments of the PC gaming hardware community. Many watchdogs assumed that company engineers had simply moved onto devising futuristic Arc Xe3 "Celestial" equivalents. As discovered last week, hopes have been elevated for a potential expansion of Team Blue's "Battlemage" dGPU lineup. Haze2K1 highlighted an intriguing entry within an NBD shipping manifest; a "BMG-G31"-type GPU was transferred "for R&D purposes." Currently, the lower end of Intel's B-card series is populated by discrete solutions based on their smaller "BMG-G21" GPU design.

Tomasz Gawroński spent part of his Easter weekend poring over shipping documents; soon stumbling on an entry that mentioned a mysterious "IBC C32 SKT"—again, listed under "research and development" purposes. In a reply to Gawroński's social media bulletin, miktdt weighed in with a logical theory: "because of the BMG in the text the best I could believe is a reworked/restarted BMG G31. C32 could simply mean cores 32 which is a fully-enabled G31. This makes more sense to me." VideoCardz posits that these leaks do not necessarily signal the revival of fortunes for more potent Arc Xe2 "Battlemage" SKUs; Intel could be shipping "canceled project" prototypes to different locations. Going back to late summer 2023, a "BMG G10" GPU die was spotted by members of the press during a tour of Team Blue's Malaysian test lab. Back then, certain industry insiders believed that the whole "Battlemage" endeavor was going through "development hell." Fast-forward to the present day; OneRaichu reckons that there is still a likelihood of Team Blue's "B770" model turning up at some point in the future.

Intel GPU enthusiasts have been waiting patiently for news regarding higher-end models; ever since the launches of wallet-friendly Arc Xe2 "Battlemage" B580 and B570 graphics cards. As the cliché goes; recent silence has been deafening—we last heard about a speculative expanded lineup of B-series SKUs around late January. At the time, three mysterious "Battlemage" PCI identifiers turned up online; courtesy of Tomasz Gawroński's detective work. Opinions were split about the exact nature of these leaked "BMG" IDs; one camp envisioned Team Blue having professional variants of their existing B580 in the pipeline—presumably with generously specced pools of 24 GB VRAM onboard. A more optimistic group posited that Intel's Arc Xe2 desktop gaming family would welcome more potent "B750, B770," and (maybe) "B780" SKUs.

Yesterday, Tomasz Gawroński (aka GawroskiT) interacted with another notable source of inside track information: Jaykihn (jaykihn0). Plenty of Team Blue-related "scoops" have emerged via Jaykihn's social media channel; mostly predictions regarding upcoming desktop, mobile and enterprise CPUs. Their latest leak indicates Intel's alleged abandoning of a high-end/larger "BMG-G31" GPU die in 2024; within the third quarter of that year. Insiders have long insisted that the Arc Xe2 "Battlemage" project navigated choppy waters during development; hence the appearance of endless theories about the whole caboodle being called off. Jaykihn clarified that he believes that a "retail" launch of "BMG-G31" dGPUs will no longer take place. Many watchdogs will assume that a gap will be filled by forthcoming Arc Xe3 "Celestial" discrete GPUs. Jaykihn stated that they have no fresh insights into how that project is going.

Intel along the sidelines of the 2025 GDC announced the release of the XeSS 2 SDK on the company's GitHub page. This makes it possible for any game developer to understand XeSS 2 and integrate it with their current and upcoming games, covering features such as XeSS 2 upscaling, XeSS 2 frame generation, and XeSS 2 Low Latency. Intel released the XeSS 2 feature-set with its Arc B-series "Battlemage" graphics cards, it is backwards compatible with Arc A-series "Alchemist" discrete GPUs that support XMX matrix math acceleration. XeSS 2 uses an AI DNN to reconstruct details in upscaled images, making it technologically closer to DLSS than to AMD FSR. Next up, Intel also announced that it has updated its first-party programming guides, its Unreal Engine plugin, and its XeSS Inspector software development tool, to each support XeSS 2, including its upscaling, frame-generation, and low-latency components.

Perhaps the more important development in the Intel Graphics team right now is that the company announced that it has laid the groundwork to implement Neural Rendering, or at least the parts that are standardized under the latest updates to DirectX 12, bringing the benefits of DirectX Cooperative Vectors to game developers. It will soon be possible for 3D applications to directly address the XMX engines on Arc A-series and B-series GPUs for an up to 10x gain in inference performance for neural texture compression.

Sparkle, a notable Intel GPU board partner, introduced its dual-fan GUARDIAN custom design late last year. The Taiwan-based manufacturer's Arc B570 GUARDIAN 10 GB model launched mid-way through January—on day one, TechPowerUp's W1zzard awarded this particular card with "Highly Recommended" and "Great Value" badges. In a December leak, Sparkle's roadmap revealed Sparkle's plans for an upcoming Arc B580 GUARDIAN 12 GB SKU. A launch window was not denoted, but the new card would seemingly arrive after the early 2025 release of Sparkle's B580 TITAN Luna OC model. VideoCardz and its network of observers have detected a new listing on the official Sparkle website; signalling the B580 GUARDIAN's arrival.

Sparkle's Arc B580 GUARDIAN graphics card seems to be available for purchase in the United Kingdom, at the time of writing. CCL Computers and AWD IT have units in-stock at their respective warehouses, ready for immediate shipping. Both e-tailers have priced their offerings at £289.99 (including VAT), AWD has kindly knocked off £10 from their original demand of £299.99. Overclockers UK has a pre-order listing, coming in at a very reasonable £274.00 (incl. VAT). The Sparkle Arc B580 GUARDIAN 12 GB model conforms to Intel reference specifications, so global costs of ownership are likely sticking close to baseline MSRP.