Intel’s Next-Gen Arc Celestial GPUs to Include GDDR7 Memory

Key Takeaways

1. Intel’s Arc GPUs are budget-friendly options aimed at gamers who prefer 1080p and 1440p resolutions, competing with Nvidia’s RTX 4060 series.
2. A job posting suggests future Intel Arc GPUs may feature GDDR7 memory, particularly for the upcoming “Celestial” models, while “Druid” models may still use GDDR6.
3. Intel’s Senior Vice President expressed confidence in the performance and software of the upcoming Arc Celestial GPUs, which will use the new Xe3P architecture.
4. The next-gen Arc Celestial and Druid GPUs are expected to be released later, following the cost-effective Arc B580 and B570 GPUs launched at $249 and $219, respectively.
5. There is uncertainty about Intel’s plans for high-end graphics cards in the future as the third generation of Arc GPUs rolls out.

Intel’s Arc GPUs have shown to be good budget-friendly options aimed at gamers who prefer 1080p and 1440p resolutions. These cards come with GDDR6 memory and are in competition with Nvidia’s RTX 4060 series, although they do not compete with high-end graphics cards. As the third generation rolls out, it remains uncertain whether Intel plans to introduce high-end options, but a recent leak suggests that the new cards could use GDDR7 memory, similar to Nvidia’s latest RTX 50-series.

Job Posting Leak

The information originates from a supposed job listing for “Memory Tuning and Qualification – Discrete Graphics” at Intel, which was noticed and shared by Haze2K1 on X. The screenshot indicates that the job was posted on April 16 for the Toronto area in Canada. The description mentioned responsibilities to “drive and deliver pre- and post-silicon validation and characterization of GDDR6/7 on Intel’s ARC products,” hinting that future Intel Arc GPUs may feature GDDR7 memory, at least for some models. A comment on the post suggests that the Arc “Celestial” GPUs will include GDDR7, while the “Druid” GPUs might still use GDDR6 memory.

Intel’s Confidence

Earlier this year, during a chat with PCGamer, Jim Johnson, who is the Senior Vice President of Intel’s Client Computing Group and General Manager of the Client Business Group, reportedly expressed Intel’s confidence in the upcoming Arc Celestial GPUs, stating that they “have the discrete card and the software that is required to make it perform.” Reports also indicate that the new GPUs will utilize the Xe3P architecture rather than the earlier Xe3. Xe3P is thought to be developed in-house by Intel.

Anticipation and Pricing

It will be some time before these next-gen Celestial and Druid GPUs hit the shelves. The Arc B580 debuted in December of last year at a cost-effective price of $249, followed by the Arc B570 priced at $219. More GPUs from the B-series are anticipated to complete the product lineup.

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