In 2025, Intel's upcoming next - generation discrete graphics card lineup, dubbed Celestial, is set to embrace the cutting - edge Xe3P architecture. Notably, for the first time, these graphics cards will be crafted at Intel's in - house foundries. The Xe3P architecture can be seen as an upgraded iteration of the Xe3 integrated graphics found in the Panther Lake processor. By incorporating XMX engines, it has the potential to significantly bolster AI performance.

In the past, Intel's Alchemist and Battlemage GPUs relied on TSMC for manufacturing. However, with Celestial, there will be a shift to Intel's own production process. This could involve utilizing either the Intel 3 process or the more advanced 18A process.

Celestial is projected to make its grand entrance as early as the end of 2025, coinciding with the release of the Panther Lake mobile processor. Yet, discrete graphics card products based on it might experience a slight delay, potentially not hitting the market until the first quarter of 2026.

Moreover, the Xe3P architecture isn't just limited to consumer - grade discrete graphics cards. It will also find its way into the data center GPU, codenamed Crescent Island. This GPU is specifically tailored for AI inference workloads and comes packed with a substantial 160GB of LPDDR5X memory. Sampling of this data center GPU to customers is anticipated to commence in the second half of 2026.

Eagle - eyed developers have spotted two distinct variants of the Xe3P architecture in system logs: the LPM (Low Power Media) version and the HPM (High Power Media) version. The presence of the HPM version hints that Intel might endow discrete graphics cards with even more robust media processing capabilities within the Xe3P core.