Intel CEO Gelsinger Addresses GPU Shortage: We Are On It

Intel Arc Alchemist
(Image credit: Intel)

Just ahead of the weekend, PC Gamer tweeted a plea to Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger for some help to solve the "nightmarish GPU crisis." On Saturday, the Intel Graphics boss Raja M. Koduri replied that Intel is aware of the issue and is working on releasing "millions of Arc GPUs" every year. Those were comforting words for some, but on Sunday, it is apparent the message had reached the very top, as Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger tweeted, "we are on it."

There have been rumors of some delays in recent weeks, but we must be heartened by Koduri's Tweet this weekend, which acknowledged the GPU shortage "is a huge issue for PC gamers and the industry at large." Moreover, Intel has concrete action plans to become a significant player, releasing a cornucopia of GPU products to the market. "Intel Graphics is working hard to find a path towards the mission - getting millions of Arc GPUs into the hands of PC gamers every year," said the graphics chief.

On Sunday, the Intel CEO added his voice to reassure gamers that changes are coming. Gelsinger took to Twitter to sympathize with the depressed GPU-less PC gaming hordes and confidently claimed, "we are on it."

Talk Is Cheap

The above are encouraging statements from two very senior Intel execs. However, they don't say anything different to the incumbent red and green team bosses, who always seem to be "doing their best" to help out PC gamers to no avail. In other words, talk is cheap and, we want to see results - meaning bountiful, high performance, and attractively priced GPUs.

There are many reasons to be somewhat skeptical about Intel's potential to be the PC GPU market savior. Firstly, it uses TSMC's foundry services to fab Arc Alchemist GPUs, affecting the amounts of GPUs that rivals can make utilizing this manufacturing resource. Additionally, Intel will be using TSMC N6 production lines, which are the N7 lines with some added EUV frills.

Another bone of contention some PC gamers might have with Intel is that it hasn't planned any crypto mining throttle, no LHR-like tech, for Arc Alchemist. So, while paying lip service to PC gamers, it might be hoping that it can catch the wave of overpriced GPUs with its "millions of Arc GPUs." However, we note that Intel and its partners have a tremendous interest in a thriving PC industry, including gaming PCs.

We are still waiting for the first modern discrete Intel GPUs to arrive and establish a product beachhead for the Arc Alchemist series. Only once they are ready for launch will we genuinely see the range's performance in independent tests.

A split in the Arc GPU rollout schedule is expected, with Q1 targeted for mobile GPUs used by Intel's laptop-making partners, with desktop GPUs from an array of partners pushed out to the eager masses of PC enthusiasts and DIYers in Q2 2022 sometime. However, we have recently reported on some possible delays to the schedule.

Mark Tyson
News Editor

Mark Tyson is a news editor at Tom's Hardware. He enjoys covering the full breadth of PC tech; from business and semiconductor design to products approaching the edge of reason.

  • Howardohyea
    well, I'm still curious about the exact launch date. Arc for all we know can miss the 22H1 launch window altogether, and there's sources say H1 2022.

    But then, it might be mobile first, then desktop
    Reply
  • InvalidError
    No matter how many Arcs Intel has on launch day, the same thing will happen to them as anything with usable performance: sold-out within minutes from launch as long as the price is in line with MH/s.

    On the plus side, eBay GPU prices are down ~10% and more places have them in stock more often. Willingness to pay exorbitant prices is slowly fading.
    Reply
  • peachpuff
    I was hoping they'd start fabbing ampere gpus...
    Reply
  • daworstplaya
    Is it just me or was the tone of this article very negative and pessimistic?
    Reply
  • zipspyder
    Scalpers all over the world cried out in wonderous joy.....
    Reply
  • InvalidError
    daworstplaya said:
    Is it just me or was the tone of this article very negative and pessimistic?
    As long as PoW crypto is hogging every GPU it possibly can, there are no reasons to expect GPU shortages to end. Until there is definitive light at the end of that tunnel, skepticism is fully warranted.
    Reply
  • digitalgriffin
    Admin said:
    Pat Gelsinger tells GPU-hungry PC gamers and enthusiasts that Intel will ride to the rescue this year – but is it talk, and do his plans add up?

    Intel CEO Gelsinger Addresses GPU Shortage: We Are On It : Read more
    If Intel is their own distributor and aib then they control 100% of the profit. No need to share profits with greedy AIBs and they will make more $ per chipset mm than Nvidia and AMD.
    Reply
  • watzupken
    I liked the way Pat said it, “We are on it”. The truth is, we won’t want to miss out selling GPUs 2x over their MSRP.
    Reply
  • InvalidError
    digitalgriffin said:
    If Intel is their own distributor and aib then they control 100% of the profit. No need to share profits with greedy AIBs and they will make more $ per chipset mm than Nvidia and AMD.
    Only problem with that is that being your own AiB also means you have to take on all of the end-user support and RMA burden too. That is why most parts manufacturers greatly favor selling in bulk to OEMs and distributors over selling direct to consumers. That frees them of most front-line costs and logistics.
    Reply
  • LolaGT
    I seem to recall more GPUs were produced this last year than ever(Maybe I heard it wrong). It is more of a demand than a shortage. (semantics, I know)
    If Intel ships out twice as much silicon as Nvidia and they are swallowed up and none of us regular folks notice any difference it doesn't really matter.
    The only real impact is Intel laughing all the way to the bank.
    Reply