Rumor mill: Despite rumors that Intel has canceled its Xe3 "Celestial" GPUs, the lineup is still expected to launch later this year. Recent reports indicate that the Celestial family is currently in the pre-silicon validation phase, while a new Battlemage card could debut at Computex 2025 later this month.
As part of the pre-silicon validation stage, the graphics architecture is tested with OEMs and BIOS vendors using software emulators, allowing engineers to identify issues before fabricating actual silicon.
The images appear to be taken from the LinkedIn profiles of several Intel engineers working on discrete Celestial GPUs. One engineer reportedly worked on "Celestial discrete GPU Pcode IP model development," while another claimed to have "developed low-level system software and device drivers in C++ for Intel's Nova Lake and Xeon6 (Diamond Rapids) CPUs and Celestial discrete GPU."
The first developer's profile also mentioned work on "pre-silicon HW modeling for power management IP in Intel Xe3 architecture for discrete GPU Celestial team (C/C++)," suggesting that software models either already have power management features implemented or are currently being fine-tuned ahead of tapeout – the final step before the GPU design is sent for manufacturing.
They cooking Intel Arc Celestial #IntelArc pic.twitter.com/A7s219tM1u
– Haze (@Haze2K1) May 2, 2025
The profiles also suggest that the GPU design – including the Xe cores, XMX matrix engines, and ray tracing units – has been completed, allowing Intel's board partners to virtually test the models and resolve any remaining issues.
Intel Fellow Tom Petersen previously dismissed rumors about the cancellation of the company's fledgling discrete graphics business. Speaking on The Full Nerd podcast last December, Petersen confirmed that the Xe3 hardware was already "baked," with the software team focused on refinement while the hardware team had moved on to Xe4 "Druid."
While Celestial GPUs are still in development, Intel doesn't appear to have abandoned Battlemage. According to Japanese media outlet Gazlog, the company is preparing to release a new discrete GPU based on BMG-G31 silicon, targeting the premium segment. The report, which cites shipping manifest data, suggests the card could be the long-rumored Arc B770.
Although Intel has yet to officially confirm a new Battlemage card, rumors indicate that the B770 may be unveiled at Computex 2025 later this month. The GPU is expected to feature G31 silicon with up to 32 Xe cores and 16 GB of GDDR6 VRAM on a 256-bit memory bus. If accurate, this would position the B770 to compete with Nvidia's RTX 4070 Ti Super and RTX 4080.