Intel’s Gaming-Centric GPUs Promise AI-Accelerated Super Sampling, Competes With Nvidia and AMD

Intel has just announced its new gaming-centric graphics brand called Intel Arc, which will cover hardware and software powering Intel’s discrete GPUs, including various hardware generations.

Credit: Intel

As a part of its first generation of Intel Arc products code-named Alchemist, the company will roll out GPUs that will have artificial intelligence or AI-driven super sampling, full support for DirectX 12 Ultimate and hardware-based ray tracing.

Intel’s super-sampling technology will compete against Nvidia’s DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling) and AMD’s FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution). DLSS maximises state-of-the-art AI rendering that results in an image quality that’s close to, and sometimes even better than, native resolution. By using a deep learning neural network, Nvidia’s tech allows for a boost in frame rates while retaining essentially indistinguishable image quality compared to native, especially for 4K.

Meanwhile, FSR achieves consistent upscaling quality by upscaling the current anti-aliased frame to the display resolution without depending on data like frame history or motion vectors. This produces near-native resolution and impressive pixel detail.

Not much has been said about Intel’s AI-based super-sampling, but we do know that having support for DirectX 12 Ultimate will benefit Alchemist GPUs. DirectX 12 Ultimate, Nvidia’s graphics API, allows for real-time ray tracing, variable rate shading, mesh shaders and sampler feedback. With that in mind, Intel's use of the technology will probably produce similar results to that of DLSS more so than as compared to FSR.

In effect, this will create vivid in-game imagery, achieve higher frame rates and allows access to all the features which DirectX 12 Ultimate provides. Aside from the capabilities mentioned above, Intel’s Arc-based Alchemist GPUs will also be capable of AI Accelerated Video Enhancement.

The first generation of Intel Arc, formerly called DG2, is based on the company’s Xe-HPG microarchitecture. Alchemist products are expected to hit the market in Q1 2022 and that would be the first major step for Intel. But Intel is not stopping there. After Alchemist, the following next few generations will be codenamed Battlemage, Celestial and Druid. For now, you can visit intel.com/Arc for more details on Intel’s upcoming graphics solutions.

Safe to say, Intel is getting serious about graphics now and for all of us consumers? Competition is always welcome.

In related news, Intel recently hired former Nvidia research scientist Anton Kaplanyan, the man behind the rival company’s ray tracing technology. Kaplanyan, now Intel’s Vice President of Graphics Research, will help lead the semiconductor company as it takes on PC gaming GPU giants Nvidia and AMD.

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Written by Sophia Lopez