Intel Arc desktop cards face more delays
Intel's much-discussed desktop Arc Alchemist series of graphics cards are set to be delayed further. At one time the series was scheduled to release in 2021, before slipping back to the second quarter of 2022 and then to summer of 2022. Now, sources are indicating the range is to be delayed further, possibly until August if not later.
According to Igor's Lab, the new release window may fall between the beginning of July and the end of August. Delays this late in development are surely not hardware-related, pointing to software issues as the reason for the delay. It's no secret the success or failure of cards is due in large part to the quality of the driver.
Intel of course won't be taking a decision like this lightly. If the release slips to August, there will be little time for the range to establish itself or stay at the top of the PC news cycle before Nvidia and AMD's next-generation cards are released later in the year. It's believed that first-generation Arc cards will have a tough task matching current-generation GPUs, and surely they won't be able to compete with Nvidia Ada Lovelace or AMD RDNA 3 cards, at least at the high-end of the market. They could still be very price competitive if Intel aggressively goes after market share, though. It's going to be an interesting battle.
Igor goes on to speculate that software might not be the only reason for the delay. It's certainly possible, if not probable that other issues including aftermarket support, partner card development, game development and integration or commercial considerations are a factor.
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