Intel starts work on a Linux driver for the Xe2 GPU in Lunar Lake

Intel Lunar Lake GPU drivers now in active development

And so begins the work on Xe2 graphics architecture on Linux. 

According to a report from Phoronix, Intel is currently developing a new driver for its upcoming Xe2 architecture, which will be utilized in the Lunar Lake CPU series. The Xe2 architecture is based on the upcoming “Battlemage” series, which will also be released as a standalone discrete GPU solution next year.

Lunar Lake is not a discrete GPU series, but a CPU series expected to launch later. It’s worth noting that Intel’s integrated GPUs are now one product cycle behind their discrete GPU counterparts. The forthcoming Meteor and Arrow Lake CPUs will deploy the Xe-LPG series, derived from the Alchemist architecture. On the other hand, Lunar Lake, a low-power GPU series, will feature the newer Xe2 architecture.

As a result, we can anticipate the arrival of gaming Xe2 Battlemage GPUs in the next year, with integrated solutions following between 2024 and 2025. Notably, Intel has already deployed the first changes to its open-source graphics driver, as spotted by Phoronix.

Intel Xe2 GPU driver developement, Source: Phoronix

Recent revelations suggest that the Lunar Lake integrated GPU (iGPU) will incorporate 64 Xe2 Execution Units, equivalent to 8 Xe-Cores. This configuration is comparable to the setups of Arc A380 desktop or A370M mobile GPUs.

While the open-source driver development for Lunar Lake has just commenced, Intel faces a significant amount of work ahead. Nevertheless, it’s commendable to witness Intel’s early commitment to developing new architectures. Such dedication is expected to yield positive results when the Xe2 architecture is eventually released around 2025. Intel has confirmed that it aims to have the first Lunar Lake CPUs ready for manufacturing in the second half of the next year.

GPU architecture according to one of Intel engineers, Source: Linkedin

Source: Phoronix