Intel Shows Arc Alchemist Card Shows Three 8-Pin Power Connectors

Intel's graphics fellow Tom Petersen (ex NVIDIA), gave a quick demonstration of an Intel Arc Alchemist graphics card based on a GPU using the Xe-HPG architecture. There were three eight-pin auxiliary PCIe power connections on the board, capable of providing up to 450W of power to the device.

We don't know whether the Intel card was a prototype or merely a render created to display the approximate design of a new product, but the device Petersen presented this week on hinted to the prospect of quite high power consumption. If the card represents what Intel intends to sell (or wants its partners to sell), Intel's top-of-the-line discrete graphics card will most likely have a power consumption of up to 450W and will run rather hot.

One thing to note about the card is that it does not appear to be a commercial / final product. The card exhibited by the Intel representative, on the other hand, does not appear to be fitted with a huge cooling. While you can't draw firm conclusions from a presentation that lasted only a few seconds, it doesn't appear like the card has a commercial-grade air cooler. It is feasible that the board employs a commercial closed-loop liquid cooling system, although these are uncommon. This early board sample as such does not provide a complete picture, but it does provide a taste of what Intel is working on, and we anticipate that if it is already being exhibited publicly, we will receive more details in the near future.