Intel Xe HPG high-performance gaming GPU could launch as soon as March 26

Intel has been cooking up a new line of discrete HPG (High Performance Gaming) cards for gaming enthusiasts for some for the past couple of years. The first new Intel Xe DG1 GPUs were launched earlier this year and were targeted at OEMs but were for LP, or low-power applications. But it is Intel’s Xe HPG (DG2) cards that everyone has been waiting for and it looks like the wait may soon be over.

The company has just launched a scavenger hunt that will open on March 26 for its new Xe HPG cards with gamers needing to decipher a code hidden in a recent teaser video [embedded below] -- presumably winners will receive one of the new cards for their efforts. However, it is possible we will learn more about the new GPUs before then with Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger set to host a special announcement scheduled for March 23 where he will explore “the new era of innovation and technology leadership at Intel”. 

Initially, we are expecting at least one Xe HPG card which has been spotted on Geekbench by Wccftech. It features 512 EUs (Execution Units), 4096 cores clocked at 1,800 MHz mated to 12 GB of GDDR6 VRAM or up to 16 GB of GDDR6 VRAM. Early speculation suggests that it will be competitive with Nvidia’s 3070 GPUs and AMD’s 6800 XT GPUs and will also support real-time ray tracing. Ultimately, Intel is expected to flesh out a full range of gaming GPUs with performance sitting below and above the initial launch model.