Intel’s first desktop Arc discrete GPUs will come in the second quarter of 2022

Intel has provided an update to the schedule for its long-awaited entry into the discrete graphics game: Arc GPUs for laptops are set to ship soon in the first quarter of 2022 (it will open precisely on machines equipped with the new Intel). 12th Gen Alder Lake H-series CPUs launched at CES 2022). Arc desktop GPUs will still wait a bit ahead of them: Intel says they won’t arrive until sometime in the second quarter, while workstation graphics cards won’t arrive until the third.

Intel quietly announced New service coming to her Arc GPUs – “Project Endgame,” which will allow customers to access Intel graphics cards for an “always accessible low-latency computing experience.” The exact mechanics here aren’t entirely clear, but it looks like Intel will allow customers to rent GPUs in the cloud, or even a full front-end gaming service like Nvidia’s GeForce Now Subscription.

There are almost no details yet about Project Endgame, including things like what kind of GPU access it will give customers, how much it will cost, or whether it will be a gaming-focused product. But Intel says it will arrive later this year, so we should find out more soon. The fact that Intel is planning some kind of cloud streaming service is also the latest sign of the confidence the company has in its discrete GPUs.

In addition, Intel announced that it has begun work on its own architecture third generation Arc GPUs, codenamed “Heavenly”. (for reference, Alchemist is the first generation of GPUs which is due to arrive this year, while the second generation of devices, “Battlemage”, is already in the works). It’s worth noting, however, that the third generation of Celestial GPUs is said to offer “a product that addresses an ultra-thin chip” — meaning Intel may set its sights on handling graphics cards like the flagship Nvidia 3090 Ti or AMD’s RX 6900 XT.

However, it’s probably worth tempering expectations: after all, Intel has yet to release its first generation GPUs yet, and it should take some time before that. third generation Graphics cards are ready for the market.