Intel already working on graphics drivers for Xe3 GPUs

Intel developers have been spotted actively working on Xe3 (codenamed Celestial) enablement within the extensive archive of Linux kernel development. References to the upcoming graphics architecture have been spotted on a pull request named “drm-xe-next”, dated October 10th.

The pull request found by Phoronix contains numerous references to Xe3. This suggests that driver development for this GPU architecture has commenced for Linux, even though discrete Xe2 Battlemage GPUs have not yet been released.

The Xe2 graphics have only recently become available as integrated GPUs within Intel Core 200V (codenamed Lunar Lake) CPUs, four years after the initial introduction of the Intel Xe architecture in 2020 and two years after the release of the first generation of Arc discrete GPUs (Alchemist). Reports indicate that the next-generation Battlemage GPUs will be available early next year, but Intel has yet to confirm that.

Xe3 is set to debut in Intel's Core Ultra 300 (Panther Lake) CPUs, the successors of Lunar Lake. Although Panther Lake is expected to arrive in 2025, Celestial discrete GPUs will likely take longer to launch, especially considering Battlemage GPUs are yet to debut. As such, expect to see Celestial GPUs in 2026 at the earliest.

KitGuru says: Early reviews show that Xe2 is quite capable for an integrated GPU. Do you think Xe3 will keep Intel's momentum in this segment?

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