Intel Hasn’t Given Up on Desktop GPUs — New High-End Card Quietly Appears in Shipping Logs
Intel is accelerating its presence in the discrete desktop GPU market. Following the 2024 release of the Arc B580 and B570 GPUs from the Battlemage series, Intel doesn’t seem content staying solely in the mid-range segment. The latest shipping logs reveal that development on the high-end Battlemage GPU, codenamed BMG-G31, has resumed, while a mysterious new variant, BMG-C32, has also surfaced. These developments suggest Intel is doubling down on its GPU product line, targeting gaming, artificial intelligence (AI), and professional workloads.
BMG-G31 Returns as a Flagship GPU #
BMG-G31 is the flagship chip of the Battlemage series. Although there were previous rumors of its cancellation, the shipping logs confirm that development has restarted. This chip uses a BGA3283 package, features 32 Xe2 cores, a 256-bit memory bus, and 16GB of GDDR6 memory — marking a significant performance jump over the B580 and B570.
Test data indicates the BMG-G31 performs close to the NVIDIA RTX 4070, offering around a 20% improvement over the previous Arc A770, making it a competitive player in the mid-to-high-end market. The logs label it for “R&D use,” suggesting it may be focused on AI inference, video rendering, and professional workstation applications.
Intel has been investing heavily in AI in recent years, and the Xe2 architecture has already shown promise in the integrated graphics of the Lunar Lake processors. For instance, the Arc 140V iGPU outperformed AMD’s Radeon 780M in OpenCL benchmarks, demonstrating impressive compute capabilities. The return of BMG-G31 may extend these advantages to discrete GPUs, catering to data centers, edge computing, and research applications.
BMG-C32: A Mysterious New Variant #
The shipping list also mentions a new variant codenamed BMG-C32, which has raised some eyebrows due to its unusual naming. It may be an optimized version of the BMG-G31 or a transitional design that blends features from the upcoming Celestial architecture.
Initial details suggest it shares similar core specifications with the BMG-G31 but may feature an increased memory capacity of up to 24GB. This would make it better suited for AI model training and handling large datasets. Although its specific positioning remains unclear, the appearance of BMG-C32 indicates a diversified strategy for the Battlemage series — spanning gaming, content creation, and AI workloads.
Battlemage Series: Stable Drivers and Competitive Pricing #
Since launch, the Battlemage series has earned recognition from some users for its value and driver stability. The Arc B580 and B570 target entry-level and mid-range markets, competing with AMD’s RX 7600 XT and NVIDIA’s RTX 3060. The B580 performs reliably at 1080p and 1440p resolutions and supports XeSS image upscaling technology, delivering solid results in ray-traced games like Cyberpunk 2077.
However, market data shows that Intel’s Arc A-series GPUs had almost zero market share in Q2 2024, highlighting its significant gap with NVIDIA and AMD in the gaming space. In response, Intel has shifted its strategy — focusing on “sweet spot” products while also exploring AI and professional markets. The development of BMG-G31 and BMG-C32 seems to reflect this shift in direction.
AI Ambitions Aligned with Strategic Shifts #
Intel’s AI roadmap is closely tied to strategic changes under its new CEO. With the surging demand for generative AI and machine learning, GPUs play a growing role in AI inference and training. The BMG-G31’s 16GB of VRAM, and the potential 24GB on the BMG-C32, can handle large language models and multimodal datasets efficiently. These GPUs also support video encoding/decoding and rendering, making them ideal for content creation, live streaming, and virtual workstations.
Intel’s Data Center GPU Flex series has already demonstrated flexibility in media processing and visual AI. The Battlemage lineup is expected to build on that foundation. BMG-G31 supports PCIe 5.0 and DisplayPort 2.1, and it’s manufactured on a 4nm process, ensuring high power efficiency — well-suited for education, edge servers, and independent developers.
Launch Timing and the Road Ahead #
The release timeline for Intel’s Battlemage GPUs is highly anticipated. The B580 and B570 launched in December 2024, and the BMG-G31 and BMG-C32 are expected to debut in early 2025 — possibly aligned with post–Black Friday market rhythms. Intel is also working on the Celestial (Xe3) architecture for the next-gen Panther Lake processors, with signs of a discrete GPU variant already appearing in shipping records.
Built on TSMC’s 4nm process, the Battlemage series offers notable performance and efficiency improvements over the previous Alchemist line, which used 6nm. The BMG-G31’s 32 Xe2 cores and 256-bit bus excel at multitasking and parallel computing. If BMG-C32 expands memory capacity further, its AI inference potential will be even greater.
Intel will need to strike the right balance among price, performance, and ecosystem support — particularly in the AI and professional segments. Offering stronger software tools and developer support will be essential to attracting both developers and enterprise customers.
Intel’s continued investment in the Battlemage series shows it has not abandoned the desktop GPU market. The revival of BMG-G31 and the emergence of BMG-C32 inject fresh energy into Intel’s GPU roadmap. Over the coming months, Intel’s product releases and market performance will reveal the true potential of its push into this space.