New PCI IDs in Intel’s Linux drivers point to an Arc Alchemist refresh

Is Intel possibly planning an update of its Arc Alchemist GPUs? For example, new PCI IDs were recently added to the current Linux driver, which could well indicate a future update. The current lineup includes five products: Arc A770, Arc A750, Arc A580, Arc A380 and Arc A310. All of these GPUs use the Alchemist GPU architecture (ACM-G10 / ACM-G11 SKUs). However, Intel has secretly added a few more GPU PCI IDs to its Linux driver

But what exactly is this about? Intel has added a few more GPU PCI IDs to its Linux open-source i915 Direct Rendering Manager driver. As discovered by Phoronix, these are now available. This is great news for all Linux users who rely on Intel graphics solutions. With these new IDs, the driver will now be able to support an even wider range of Intel GPUs. The i915 Direct Rendering Manager drivers are responsible for supporting Intel GPUs on Linux systems.

They allow users to run a variety of applications and games on their systems based on the graphics performance of the computer. The expansion of GPU PCI IDs is an important step for Intel, as it will help strengthen its position in the Linux market. With a larger number of GPUs supported, more users will be able to move to Linux systems and take advantage of the benefits that this platform offers.

• 0x56B0 – TBD
• 0x56BA – TBD
• 0x56BB – TBD
• 0x56BC – TBD
• 0x56BD – TBD
• 0x56A0 – Arc A770
• 0x56A1 – Arc A750
• 0x56A2 – Arc A580
• 0x56A5 – Arc A380
• 0x56A6 – Arc A310
• 0x56B3 – Arc Pro A60
• 0x56B1- Arc Pro A50
• 0x56B1 – Arc Pro A40
• 0x5690 – Arc A770M
• 0x5691 – Arc A730M
• 0x5692 – Arc A550M
• 0x5696 – Arc A570M
• 0x5697 – Arc A530M
• 0x5693 – Arc A370M
• 0x5694 – Arc A350M

These new IDs certainly indicate that Intel will soon launch new products. It is believed that it could be some kind of Alchemist refresh family, which was originally expected for the second half of 2023. So far, however, Intel has not made any official announcement and they were still tight-lipped on the GPU side at Innovation 2023. However, Intel’s graphics department is known for doing things their own way.

It’s quite possible that they will hold another secret event or delay the announcement until CES 2024. The new PCI IDs in the Linux driver are at least a clear indication that Intel is still working hard on the development of its graphics cards. The Alchemist GPUs are expected to be a serious competitor to the established market leaders like Nvidia and AMD in the near future. However, it remains to be seen which new products Intel will launch in the future and how they will hold their own against the competition. The future of the graphics industry will certainly remain exciting.

Intel has also announced that they have enabled FCV optimizations for Gen 12.5 graphics on Linux. This has resulted in performance improvements of up to 45% in games like F1 2022. The optimizations are added on Alchemist and Meteor Lake CPUs that share the DG2 Gen 12.5 GPU architecture. This is great news for Linux gamers as they can now enjoy improved performance on their systems. It is also further proof that Intel is focused on improving the performance of its products. The FCV optimizations will be available on Intel’s latest CPUs and are certainly another reason why many people choose Intel products. It is expected that the optimizations will also be available in future products from Intel.

Source: Phoronix