Official: ARC desktop pushed back to late summer 2022

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This is a communication that has the value of an official statement. Intel’s vice president and general manager of the Visual Compute Group, Lisa Pearce, spoke in an article about the genesis of the ARC cards. She was able to confirm that they had been delayed due to concerns about the drivers. This confirms the various rumors about Intel drivers being problematic and a potential delay factor. In short, it is almost official that the ARC desktop family is postponed to this summer at best.

Intel ARC repoussé été 2022 In this blog post, it confirms that while Intel’s entry-level Arc A3 products will be launched by the end of Q2 2022, they should only be found in China at a few system integrators.

The translation of the post on the official Intel blog:

Question #1: Can you update us on the status of your Intel® Arc™ graphics mobile products?

We have been working closely with OEM partners to fully launch Intel Arc Graphics mobile designs. The first was Samsung, which started with availability in Korea and is expanding globally. We had planned to have broader OEM availability at this point; however, we have had some delays in software preparation and with COVID blockages impacting global supply chains, OEM designs are only becoming more widely available this month.

Despite the constraints, our OEM partners have announced laptops with Intel Arc 3 graphics – including Samsung, Lenovo, Acer, HP and Asus – and we are working with our partners to help them bring these products to market as soon as possible. Laptops with Intel Arc 5 and Arc 7 graphics will begin to be available in early summer.

Question #2: When are desktop cards with Intel Arc Graphics coming?

Unlike laptop designs, desktop systems have a wide range of combinations, including memory, motherboards and processors. To initially limit some of these variations, we will begin working with system builders and OEMs with specific configurations.

We will first launch our entry-level Intel Arc A-series desktop products (A3) in China through system builders and OEMs in the second quarter. Retail and retail component sales will also follow soon in China. The proximity of the board’s components and the high demand for dedicated entry-level products make it a natural starting point. Our next step will be to roll out these products globally.

The rollout of the Intel Arc A5 and A7 desktop boards will begin worldwide with OEMs and system integrators later this summer, followed by component sales in global channels.

This staggered approach gives us confidence at every stage that we can effectively serve our customers.