Intel Still Committed to Desktop GPUs: New Battlemage Models Spotted in Shipping Records

Intel isn’t backing down from its pursuit of the discrete GPU market. Recent shipping documents point to progress on new Battlemage hardware and a rather intriguing mysterious SKU.

### Intel Pushes Forward with Battlemage “BMG-G31” Variant, Focusing on AI and Professional Demands

Last year, Intel caught many by surprise with the introduction of its two Battlemage GPUs, the Arc B580 and B570. They stirred up significant interest, primarily because next-gen offerings from NVIDIA and AMD weren’t available yet. As the second quarter draws to a close, Intel has kept mum about its desktop GPU plans, leading to speculation that they might not be interested. But the latest information from shipping manifests tells a different story.

On Twitter, a user known as Haze (@Haze2K1) sparked curiosity with a cryptic post about the situation.

The manifests have mentioned a “BMG-G31”, which suggests a silicon upgrade over the current Battlemage models. This variant could potentially house 24-32 Xe2 cores paired with a 256-bit memory bus and 16 GB of GDDR6 memory. Contrary to the online buzz about its cancellation and no consumer release, the manifests label the BMG-G31 for “R&D purposes,” hinting at its likely AI and professional workload focus.

Additionally, another shipping entry lists an unusual variant, the BMG “C32.” Its naming is perplexing since it combines Battlemage and Celestial nomenclature. However, insiders, including @mikdt, claim it’s still a Battlemage model, possibly a “reworked” version of the BMG-G31. This development indicates Intel is laying the groundwork for multiple Battlemage models, leaving us to wonder if any will hit the consumer market.

Considering Intel’s simultaneous development of the Xe3 “Celestial” architecture for Panther Lake SoCs, it’ll be fascinating to see their strategy. With a new CEO steering the ship, Intel is prioritizing AI, suggesting their focus might lean towards AI-optimized GPUs instead.