Intel Xe3 GPUs Fully Developed, Hardware Team Moves to Next-Gen Xe4 “Druid” Architecture

In a recent episode of The Full Nerd Podcast, Tom Petersen from Intel confirmed that the hardware development for the upcoming Intel Xe3-based Celestial GPUs is complete. This statement dispels recent rumors regarding the cancellation of the next-generation Xe graphics.

Xe3 Hardware Development Completed and Software Efforts Underway

Petersen announced that while the hardware aspect of the Xe3 architecture is fully realized, the software teams are now focused on finalizing development. Furthermore, Intel’s hardware engineers are transitioning their efforts towards the subsequent generation, referred to as “Druid”or Xe4.

This affirmation not only reinforces Intel’s commitment to producing Xe3 graphics but also highlights the maturity of the Celestial GPU hardware. Previous speculations suggested that Intel might abandon the Xe3 Celestial GPUs if the current Battlemage series did not perform well; however, these fears have been put to rest with Petersen’s reassurance.

A Glimpse into Intel’s Future Plans

During the podcast, Petersen shared insights about the Xe3 graphics architecture without diving into extensive specifics. However, his comments made it clear that the hardware for this architecture is already developed:

“Our architects are way ahead of us and they are already working on not the next thing but the next thing after the next thing. The way I would like to comment is our IP that’s kind of called Xe3, which is the one after Xe3, that’s pretty much baked, right. And so the software teams have a lot of work to do on Xe3. The hardware teams are off on the next thing, right. That’s our cadence, that we need to keep going.”
– Tom Petersen (PCWorld The Full Nerd Podcast)

This statement indicates that Intel’s engineering teams have already progressed beyond the Xe3 architecture, although details regarding their next endeavor remain undisclosed. The company’s roadmap, however, shows a clear trajectory towards the Celestial GPUs, which will integrate the Xe3 architecture.

Impact on Next-Generation Mobile CPUs

Looking ahead, the Celestial GPUs are set to complement the anticipated Panther Lake mobile CPUs, expected to launch next year as successors to the Lunar Lake CPUs. The Lunar Lake series was notable for achieving a 50% increase in graphics performance over its predecessor, Meteor Lake. The upcoming Panther Lake series is expected to push this performance barrier even further, with an increase in Xe core counts from 8 to 12.

Future Prospects for Discrete GPUs

While there is currently limited information regarding the introduction of the Xe3 architecture to desktop discrete GPUs, it remains a strong possibility. Intel’s initial roadmap suggests that the Celestial GPUs are geared to achieve “Ultra Enthusiast”performance levels.

For more details and updates, you can access the full episode on YouTube.

Source: The Full Nerd Podcast