Intel has everything to prove with its Xe2 GPUs, codenamed Battlemage, following the storied troubled production and launch of the Arc A-Series. Spirits at Team Blue seemed high at Computex, revealing much about its upcoming architecture with a degree of cautious optimism. However, one upgrade the company kept quiet was the switch to a more-advanced node this time around, once again at TSMC.
From what we know about Battlemage, it could give the best graphics cards in the budget space a run for their money. Intel previously seemed poised to give gamers the pixel pusher they deserve through Arc A770, with its 16GB of VRAM. However, this was, as we now know, not meant to be. What’s coming over the hill, though, isn’t the same architecture from 2022 as Xe2 is simply built different (in every sense of the phrase).
According to DigiTimes (kindly surmised by TechPowerUp), Intel has unveiled more details about its next “flagship” GPU. While the company stopped short of specific specifications for a would-be BMG-G10, it apparently divulged that its upcoming discrete graphics cards will feature silicon fashioned on TSMC’s 4nm process.
Yes, technically TSMC doesn’t have a 4nm node, so we’re talking about a refined 5nm process. However, this technicality also applies to Nvidia, who builds its RTX 40 series GPUs via a similar process. It’s unclear whether Intel will opt for N4 or N4P, but this should become obvious in time.
For context, Intel manufactures its current generation Alchemist sock with TSMC 6nm nodes. Swapping over to this more advanced process should allow for a great density of Xe2 cores, relative to Xe-HPG, and greater efficiency. How well graphics cards with the architecture perform compared to their competition is anyone’s guess for now Nonetheless, we’ve every confidence they’ll do battle with GeForce RTX 4060 and Radeon RX 7600 at the very least.
Should Intel stick the landing with Xe2, questions will undoubtedly arise about its staying power. Should Battlemage emerge this year, it’s entering a market that’s on the cusp of massive change as the launch of the RTX 50 series and RDNA 4 GPUs near. Suffice to say, it’ll likely have quite the challenge on its hands should Team Blue choose to go toe-to-toe with its rivals’ next-generation stock.