Intel and AMD Reveal Codenames for Next-Gen GPUs: Xe4 and GFX13 Set to Power Future Graphics

It appears that software divisions at both AMD and Intel are gearing up for their next-generation GPU offerings. The internal codenames for these upcoming GPUs—Intel's Xe4 and AMD's GFX13—have recently surfaced, thanks to posts by tech community members Kepler and x86isdeadandback on social media platform X, as reported by VideoCardz. These codenames indicate that both companies are investing substantial resources into the development of their future graphics products. Intel officially confirmed its fourth-generation Arc GPUs, dubbed "Druid," will utilize the Xe4 architecture. This follows a series of GPUs starting with the initial "Alchemist." Despite a lack of fanfare post-Alchemist, Intel surprised many with the desktop launch of Battlemage (Xe2) in December last year. The next in line, Celestial (Xe3), is set to accompany Intel's Panther Lake CPUs, expected to enter High Volume Manufacturing (HVM) later this year. According to internal employee reports and comments from Tom Peterson, Celestial has already reached the pre-silicon validation phase, where any hardware design issues are identified and addressed before mass production. Peterson has stated that Celestial’s hardware is “baked,” with software optimization being the primary remaining focus. Meanwhile, hardware teams have already shifted their attention to Druid (Xe4). Development commits to the Dawn repository suggest that Xe4 will likely be part of Intel’s Gen15 lineup. On the AMD side, the company internally uses GFXxx codenames to denote different GPU Intellectual Property (IP) blocks. These designations, tied to the GPU architecture, can often be found in Linux kernel patches or firmware updates. A recent patch shared by Kepler indicates that AMD’s next-generation GPUs will fall under the GFX13 series. The exact architecture remains undisclosed, but potential candidates include UDNA 1 or RDNA 5. AMD is moving toward unifying its gaming-centric RDNA and compute-centric CDNA families under a single framework called UDNA, reminiscent of the Vega architecture. In contrast, Nvidia has adopted a fluctuating strategy. Initially, Volta and Turing served distinct consumer and data center markets, but Ampere merged the two. The proliferation of generative AI led Nvidia to separate them once again with Hopper and Ada Lovelace, ultimately unifying under the Blackwell architecture. A unified approach can streamline development and improve software support but may compromise specialized functionalities, particularly in gaming if not carefully balanced. However, it’s important to note that both Intel’s Druid and AMD’s GFX13 GPUs are still several years away from release. Intel’s Celestial is expected to make its desktop appearance around 2026-2027, suggesting Druid could follow in 2028 or beyond. AMD, typically adhering to a two-year cadence between GPU releases, might unveil desktop products based on GFX13 in late 2026 or early 2027. To stay informed about the latest developments in GPU technology, follow Tom’s Hardware on Google News to receive their up-to-date news, analysis, and reviews directly in your feed. Make sure to click the Follow button.