Intel's Tom Peterson has confirmed in a podcast that the hardware for the upcoming Intel Xe3 "Celestial" GPUs is complete. This puts to rest rumors of cancellation and suggests an imminent release. Furthermore, the hardware team has already transitioned to the next-generation Xe4 "Druid" architecture.
Peterson, speaking on The Full Nerd podcast, revealed that the Xe3 architecture is "baked." While he didn't divulge specifics, the confirmation dispels doubts about Intel's commitment to its GPU roadmap.
"Our IP that's kind of called Xe3...that's pretty much baked...The software teams have a lot of work to do on Xe3. The hardware teams are off on the next thing."
This statement indicates that Intel's hardware team is already working on Xe4 "Druid". While the exact nature of "Druid" remains undisclosed, the roadmap suggests Xe3 "Celestial" will first appear in Panther Lake mobile CPUs, succeeding Lunar Lake. Panther Lake is expected to deliver further graphics performance improvements, increasing the Xe core count from 8 to 12.
While desktop Xe3 GPUs haven't been officially confirmed, it's highly likely given Intel's roadmap targeting "Ultra Enthusiast" performance with Celestial.
Listen to the full podcast: The Full Nerd Podcast (PCWorld)
