Intel, the graphics boss rejects the rumors about the exit from the desktop GPU sector

Just a few days ago Intel unveiled the technical specifications of desktop GPUs Archis first generation of dedicated video cards. As is known, Arc solutions arrived on the market with different delay and in an extremely small number, so much so that actually only the Arc A380 arrived in China and the United States, while “soon” the Arc A750 and A770 models will debut in countries such as Germany. A few weeks ago, on the basis of some fatal indiscretions, we were talking about the “lost generation”.

Voices aside, thelaunching the Arc GPUs was – by Intel’s own admission – somewhat complicated, in some ways wrong in some decisions taken and crippled by problems on the software front that certainly did not help in competitiveness. Entering a new market, even if your name is Intel, is always a great challenge, especially if the rivals are called AMD and NVIDIA, a reality with thirty years of experience at the highest levels.

When Intel announced its intention to step into the desktop GPU industry it did so with a marketing campaign called “Odyssey“, a way to give back the feeling that it would be a long and tumultuous journey.

Over the course of the weekend, youtuber Moore Law is Dead has posted a video in which he basically announced the death of Arc GPUsor rather Intel’s decision of get out of the business of dedicated GPUs, at least the gaming ones. A choice that could materialize after Battlemage, the second generation project.

The video is based on several unspecified internal sourcesall agree in defining Arc al terminus. In this sense, it should not be forgotten that CEO Pat Gelsinger, who took office in February 2021, has already cut several unproductive and non-core businesses for Intel, hinting that he would not have finished yet.

The point : Is Arc an unproductive business for Intel or does it simply need time? And does Intel have the time and, above all, the will to invest money (billions, ed), to make it its new pillar? Questions that only the top management of the company can answer and that are currently silenced by Raja Kodurithe boss of graphics (and much more) of the Santa Clara house.

Pressed on Twitter, Koduri hinted that these rumors have even shocked the Arc team itself. “They don’t help the team work hard to bring them to market, they don’t help the PC graphics community … one wonders, who do they help? … We are still in the first generation and we had more obstacles to overcome than as expected, but we insisted … “.

While Koduri doesn’t write a literal denial, the words go in that direction. Intel Fellow Tom Petersen recently commented on these rumors. “We’re not going anywhere with our dedicated GPU business. Our dedicated GPU business is the core technology development that goes into both datacenters and integrated graphics.”

In the event of a possible disengagement, Koduri and Petersen would be the first to know. Exposing themselves publicly as they did, only to be quickly denied, would not expose them to a good figure. In short, for now the Arc business should still be considered alive and kickingat least until proven otherwise.