Latest news with #Battlemage
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- Yahoo
Intel "Xe4" and AMD "GFX13" codenames surface for next-gen 'Druid' GPUs
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. It seems that the software divisions at AMD and Intel are setting the stage for their next-generation GPU offerings. The internal codenames for these GPUs, Intel's Xe4 and AMD's GFX13, have been spotted by Kepler and x86isdeadandback at X, as noted by VideoCardz. While this does not allude to the specifications, it shows that both teams are actively pouring resources into the development of their future graphics products. Intel officially confirmed its fourth-generation Arc GPUs would be codenamed Druid, employing the Xe4 architecture, a while back. The firm has been notably quiet regarding its future GPU roadmap following Alchemist. With limited pre-launch hype, the desktop launch of Battlemage (Xe2) last December was also somewhat of a surprise. That being said, the successor to Battlemage, codenamed Celestial (Xe3), will arrive with Intel's Panther Lake CPUs, which are scheduled for HVM (High Volume Manufacturing) later this year. Based on employee reports, Celestial has reportedly reached pre-silicon validation, where hardware design flaws are identified and resolved before committing to manufacturing. Tom Peterson's comments support this, stating Celestial's hardware is "baked", with software optimization the remaining task. He also added that the hardware teams have moved on to the next project, Druid (Xe4). Based on commits to the Dawn repository, developers are starting to integrate support for Xe4, which should fall under Intel's Gen15 umbrella. Internally, AMD uses GFXxx codenames to represent or identify different GPU IP blocks. We often find these designations, tied to the GPU architecture, like GFX12 for RDNA 4, in Linux kernel patches or firmware packages. According to a patch shared by leaker Kepler, AMD's next-generation GPUs will be part of the GFX13 series. As of now, the exact architecture has not been revealed, so the likely choices are between UDNA 1 and RDNA 5. AMD has outlined its intent to unify the genome of its gaming-centric RDNA and compute-centric CDNA families under the banner of UDNA, similar to Vega. For comparison, Nvidia has taken a mixed approach with its products. Volta and Turing were separate architectures for data centers and consumers. Ampere combined the two foundations, but with the rise of generative AI, Nvidia dissected the two again with Hopper and Ada Lovelace. Blackwell now serves as the unified backbone of these two segments. A unified architecture leads to simplified development and better software support, but it might require compromising on specialized applications, which in this case will probably be gaming, if not carefully handled. That being said, we're still several years away from both of these GPU launches. Since Celestial on desktop is anticipated for a 2026-27 reveal, it would be logical to expect Druid to follow sometime in 2028 or later. Assuming AMD adheres to its typical two-year cadence between GPU launches, desktop products based on GFX13 might be slated for late 2026 or early 2027. Follow Tom's Hardware on Google News to get our up-to-date news, analysis, and reviews in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button.
Yahoo
01-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Intel says you can download more FPS for Lunar Lake — new driver promises up to 10% higher average frame rates, 25% improvement in 99th percentiles
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Last month, Intel launched new power-optimized drivers for handheld devices, touting performance gains across various titles. With the latest Arc graphics driver version 32.0.101.6874, Intel is expanding these optimizations to all Core Ultra 200V-powered devices, across laptops and mini-PCs. Since Intel's Arc is still in its early stages, many initial launches have improved with age due to subsequent driver improvements. This has been evident with Alchemist. Furthermore, despite Battlemage offering a relatively stronger and more stable platform at launch, it's clear there is still untapped potential, as shown by these software-driven improvements. Intel's Arc graphics driver 32.0.101.6734 introduced notable low-power mode optimizations for Lunar Lake-powered handhelds, specifically the MSI Claw 8 AI+. After extensive validation and testing, Intel is expanding the scope of these optimizations to all devices, whether laptops or mini-PCs. First-party metrics suggest a 10% bump in performance across the board in nine titles, with the Core Ultra 7 258V at 17W, but your mileage will vary. We'll have to verify these claims through independent testing. It's important to note these improvements are specifically for Intel's low-power Arc 130V and Arc 140V offerings, not the desktop-based Battlemage Arc B-series. The new drivers also address a slew of bugs across various productivity applications and games. A noteworthy detail in the patch notes is the increased memory allocation for integrated Arc GPUs across Core Ultra Series 1 (Meteor Lake) and Series 2 (Arrow Lake and Lunar Lake) product lines, now supporting up to 57% compared to the previous 50% cap. Thus, a 16GB host system can allocate 9.12GB to the iGPU, as opposed to 8GB previously. This isn't the first time Intel has offered improved performance through software updates, as a previous driver release from last October increased FPS by as much as 24%. This builds on earlier optimizations for the Arc platform, so we'll probably see further, likely less pronounced improvements down the road. Most software divisions are likely hard at work preparing the groundwork for next-generation Celestial (Xe3) graphics, set to be introduced with Panther Lake early next year. Follow Tom's Hardware on Google News to get our up-to-date news, analysis, and reviews in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button.


Business Insider
31-05-2025
- Business
- Business Insider
'Data Center GPUs' Prove Little Help for Intel Stock (NASDAQ:INTC)
Chip stock Intel (INTC) has been eagerly fighting to win back its presence in the data center. And as more data centers start taking on artificial intelligence (AI) operations, that has left Intel somewhat on the back foot. But Intel is working to make a comeback, and giving its Battlemage graphics processing unit (GPU) line some extra room to run. Sadly, this did little good for Intel stock, as shareholders rejected the notion and bolted for the exits, taking shares down nearly 4% in Friday afternoon's trading. Confident Investing Starts Here: Reports noted that Intel engineers are currently working on a Linux kernel to drive data center GPUs, which pretty much means Battlemage at this point. Intel already has a couple of entrants in the GPU field—the Arc B-Series and the Arc Pro B-Series—but with this new kernel being established, reports note, that will get Battlemage into the fray as well, doing more than just improving people's gaming experience. The reports suggest that the new combination will come out under the Data Center GPU Flex Series, unless some fresh power is brought in that makes it more along the lines of the Data Center GPU Max Series. Word from the patch notes, meanwhile, notes that the new data center GPU line will have access to the Synopsis DesignWare I2C host adapter, which handles connection duties for a range of microcontrollers. New Packaging, Too Further, Intel is also working to bring out new word about its packaging, including one big breakthrough in the EMIB-T class. EMIB-T, noted a report from Tom's Hardware, will offer larger-size chip packages as well as greater options in power delivery, and even an improvement in heat spreader operations for a more reliable chip overall. The EMIB-T design, meanwhile, is fairly similar to its EMIB lineup, but with the addition of 'through-silicon vias,' (TSVs) that lend access to better communications and power flow between dies and chiplets in the chip overall. That again should help improve efficiency and speeds, making chips made in this fashion more attractive overall. Is Intel a Buy, Hold or Sell? Turning to Wall Street, analysts have a Hold consensus rating on INTC stock based on one Buy, 26 Holds and four Sells assigned in the past three months, as indicated by the graphic below. After a 34.36% loss in its share price over the past year, the average INTC price target of $21.29 per share implies 8.76% upside potential.


Globe and Mail
24-05-2025
- Business
- Globe and Mail
Intel Stock (NASDAQ:INTC) Slides on New Developments, Old Faces
Today turned out to be an oddly mixed day for chip stock Intel (INTC). It brought out some exciting news about the upcoming Battlemage CPU lineup, and some new bits about its role in a high-powered laptop, or rather, a laptop with high battery power in it. It also lost some names in its sales force that might be concerning. All of this together added up to concern from investors, as Intel shares slid over 2% in Friday afternoon's trading. Confident Investing Starts Here: Easily unpack a company's performance with TipRanks' new KPI Data for smart investment decisions Receive undervalued, market resilient stocks right to your inbox with TipRanks' Smart Value Newsletter First, there's the Arc B770, a development that is proving a surprising winner for Intel as it gets more into the graphics processing unit (GPU) market space. The B770, the latest in the series, is still expected to hit in the fourth quarter of this year. This should be particularly good news if it can lean toward the front half of the fourth quarter as opposed to the back, which would make the B770 one doozy of a Christmas shopping item. Second, there is the boost from Lenovo (LNVGY), by way of the ThinkPad T14s, Gen 6. Reports note that this laptop comes with a hefty 21 hours of battery life, and a lot of that is thanks to Intel's Lunar Lake processors, which serve as the underpinnings of this laptop. Reports call it an '…ideal balance between great everyday performance and efficiency.' And Then, The Losses This was all good news for Intel, but not all the news was so pleasant. Intel lost two fairly major names in its operation: its data center sales leader, and its public sector sales leader. Both Uday Yadati, who ran the data center sales, and Cameron Chehreh, who handled public sector, left the company recently. Yadati's departure was unexpected, reports note, and Chehreh first announced his departure on LinkedIn late Wednesday, reports noted. Yadati was, apparently, made a better offer elsewhere as he left to '…pursue another opportunity,' reports noted. And Chehreh was leaving to return to his 'software roots,' serving as president and general manager at a startup. Is Intel a Buy, Hold or Sell? Turning to Wall Street, analysts have a Hold consensus rating on INTC stock based on one Buy, 26 Holds and four Sells assigned in the past three months, as indicated by the graphic below. After a 33.11% loss in its share price over the past year, the average INTC price target of $21.29 per share implies 5.76% upside potential. See more INTC analyst ratings Disclosure


Business Insider
24-05-2025
- Business
- Business Insider
Intel Stock (NASDAQ:INTC) Slides on New Developments, Old Faces
Today turned out to be an oddly mixed day for chip stock Intel (INTC). It brought out some exciting news about the upcoming Battlemage CPU lineup, and some new bits about its role in a high-powered laptop, or rather, a laptop with high battery power in it. It also lost some names in its sales force that might be concerning. All of this together added up to concern from investors, as Intel shares slid over 2% in Friday afternoon's trading. Confident Investing Starts Here: Easily unpack a company's performance with TipRanks' new KPI Data for smart investment decisions Receive undervalued, market resilient stocks right to your inbox with TipRanks' Smart Value Newsletter First, there's the Arc B770, a development that is proving a surprising winner for Intel as it gets more into the graphics processing unit (GPU) market space. The B770, the latest in the series, is still expected to hit in the fourth quarter of this year. This should be particularly good news if it can lean toward the front half of the fourth quarter as opposed to the back, which would make the B770 one doozy of a Christmas shopping item. Second, there is the boost from Lenovo (LNVGY), by way of the ThinkPad T14s, Gen 6. Reports note that this laptop comes with a hefty 21 hours of battery life, and a lot of that is thanks to Intel's Lunar Lake processors, which serve as the underpinnings of this laptop. Reports call it an '…ideal balance between great everyday performance and efficiency.' And Then, The Losses This was all good news for Intel, but not all the news was so pleasant. Intel lost two fairly major names in its operation: its data center sales leader, and its public sector sales leader. Both Uday Yadati, who ran the data center sales, and Cameron Chehreh, who handled public sector, left the company recently. Yadati's departure was unexpected, reports note, and Chehreh first announced his departure on LinkedIn late Wednesday, reports noted. Yadati was, apparently, made a better offer elsewhere as he left to '…pursue another opportunity,' reports noted. And Chehreh was leaving to return to his 'software roots,' serving as president and general manager at a startup. Is Intel a Buy, Hold or Sell? Turning to Wall Street, analysts have a Hold consensus rating on INTC stock based on one Buy, 26 Holds and four Sells assigned in the past three months, as indicated by the graphic below. After a 33.11% loss in its share price over the past year, the average INTC price target of $21.29 per share implies 5.76% upside potential.