Intel is gearing up for the development of drivers for its future Lunar Lake CPUs which will feature the next-gen Xe2 GPU architecture codenamed Battlemage.
Intel Lunar Lake CPUs On Track As Company Preps First Linux Driver Support For Integrated Xe2 "Battlemage" GPUs
The Xe2 graphics architecture is intended for Intel's upcoming Battlemage lineup of Arc discrete & integrated GPUs, scheduled to launch first in 2024. For a quick recap, the Meteor Lake and Arrow Lake CPU lineup features Intel's Xe-LPG integrated graphics, while the future Xe2-LPG architecture will power the Lunar Lake CPU family.
Intel's developers have started "drafting" support for Lunar Lake's "Xe2-LPG' iGPU in the Intel MESA driver, and the patch verifies that "Xe2" will indeed be an upgrade. Since the Lunar Lake CPUs are expected to drop by 2025, one should anticipate several patches and updates in the open-source driver prior to release.
If you are unaware of the "Xe2" architecture of Battlemage iGPUs, we recently discussed a leak where we got a glimpse of the integrated graphics family. The Intel Lunar Lake CPUs will feature an iGPU core with 64 Xe2 EUs within 8 Xe Cores. The Battlemage GPU architecture featured on Intel's Lunar Lake CPUs should provide a good boost in performance over Alchemist thanks to its more expansive SIMD units.
Lunar Lake CPUs, as previously revealed, will also feature a next-gen VPU (Versatile Processing Unit) as disclosed by Phoronix. This will come in handy for AI workloads and further enhance the lineup's computing capabilities which will make its first debut on Meteor Lake CPUs this year.
With the newly emerged patch, we should appreciate Intel's commitment to providing super-early support for its architectures to ensure extensive support on launch, and it only provides us bits of information that lead to an interest in the particular lineup. Expect more information on Lunar Lake CPUs and Battlemage GPUs in the coming year.
Intel ARC Gaming GPU Lineup
| GPU Family | Intel Xe Next Next | Intel Xe Next | Intel Xe3P | Intel Xe3 | Intel Xe2 | Intel Xe+ | Intel Xe |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| dGPU Products | ARC E*** GPUs | ARC Druid GPUs | Arc Celestial GPUs? | ARC Battlemage GPUs | ARC Battlemage GPUs | N/A | ARC Alchemist GPUs |
| iGPU Products | TBA | TBA | Arc C-Series? | Arc B-Series | Arc 200-Series | Arc 100-Series | Arc Graphics |
| dGPU Segment | Mainstream / High-End Gaming (Discrete) | Mainstream / High-End Gaming (Discrete) | TBC | N/A | Mainstream (Discrete) | N/A | Mainstream (Discrete) |
| CPU iGPU | TBA | TBA | Xe3P-LPG (Nova Lake) | Xe3-LPG (Panther Lake) | Xe2-LPG (Lunar Lake) | Xe-LPG+ (Arrow Lake) | Xe-LPG (Meteor Lake) |
| Process Node | TBA | TBA | TSMC 2nm? | TSMC 3nm / Intel 3 | TSMC 5nm (3nm Lunar Lake Tile) | TSMC 6nm | TSMC 6nm |
| Max Xe Cores | TBA | TBA | TBA | 12 | 32? | 8 | 32 |
| Memory Subsystem | TBA | TBA | G7/LP5X/LP6? | LP5X | G6/LP5X | G6/LP5X | G6/LP5 |
| Launch | 2028? | 2027? | 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2024 | 2022 |
News Source: Phoronix
About the author: Muhammad Zuhair is a hardware and technology reporter for Wccftech, specializing in the semiconductor industry and the complex interplay between technology, manufacturing, and geopolitics. His coverage focuses on the corporate strategies and technological roadmaps of industry giants like TSMC, NVIDIA, Samsung, and Intel. Zuhair's expertise lies in deconstructing complex topics such as fabrication nodes (e.g., 2nm process), the economic impact of policies like the CHIPS Act, and the strategic development of AI infrastructure from NVIDIA, AMD and Intel.
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