Intel’s “Celestial” and “Druid” Desktop GPUs Are Thriving; Future Focus Shifts to Scalable Mobile GPUs

Intel’s latest lineup of “Battlemage” discrete GPUs is just the beginning of their adventure in the market, with next-gen “Celestial & Druid” architectures set to follow as originally planned.

Now that we’ve got a glimpse of when Intel plans to roll out their Battlemage architecture—aimed for a mid-December release—questions have started swirling about Intel’s future in the desktop GPU arena. This curiosity largely stems from the uncertainty surrounding Intel’s seemingly sluggish progress and the mixed reception of their past GPU releases. Yet, according to the well-known leaker @jaykihn0, Intel’s upcoming Celestial and Druid desktop GPU series are right on schedule.

In a Twitter update, Jaykihn made it clear that any confusion about Intel’s dedication to the desktop and laptop GPU markets should be cleared up—they’re firmly committed to both.

Expounding on this, the leaker underscored Intel’s ambitions of maintaining a steady flow of desktop GPU offerings. Additionally, the company plans to significantly enhance its “laptop iGPUs,” making them powerful enough to compete with desktop versions. This hints at Intel’s long-term strategy to focus more on mobile GPUs without abandoning their dedicated desktop GPU lineup.

Looking ahead to Intel’s Celestial series, it’s pegged to take over from Battlemage with the new “Xe3” architecture. However, the specs are still under wraps for now. Similarly, the Druid series is set to introduce the “Xe-Next” architecture, likely aiming to rival competitors’ products two generations down the line. All signs point to Intel staying in the desktop GPU game, with much more still to unveil in the future.

For the moment, the spotlight is on Intel’s Arc Battlemage SKUs, rumored to launch soon. These will give us a better sense of Intel’s roadmap for their desktop GPU division moving forward.

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