Intel introduced Arc Pro GPUs for workstations. When the company unveiled the Arc branding for its high-performance consumer graphics devices last year, it used games to show off the capabilities of the line’s GPUs. However, the company’s most recent Arc GPUs aren’t at all intended for gaming: They were created for workstations running Handbrake, DaVinci Resolve Studio, and Adobe Premiere Pro for desktop and mobile devices.
There will be three Intel Arc Pro versions for now
Three versions make up Intel’s initial portfolio, with the Arc Pro A40 featuring a “tiny, single-slot form factor.” The Arc Pro A30M was designed exclusively for laptops, but the Arc Pro A50 is an upgrade and has a larger dual-slot shape.
All three models have built-in ray tracing and machine learning capabilities, however, their main features vary slightly from one another. For example, the A40 and A30M have 3.50 teraflops of graphics processing capacity, whereas the A50 has 4.80 teraflops. Both desktop models have 6GB of memory, compared to 4GB for the laptop model.
Additionally, all models enable AV1 hardware encoding acceleration, which Intel claims to be a first in the sector. The new GPUs can support up to four 60Hz 4K displays, one 5K monitor with a refresh rate of 240Hz, two 5K displays with a refresh rate of 120Hz, and two 8K displays with a refresh rate of 60Hz. They also include four mini-display connections.
These new discrete GPUs for workstations won’t be cheap, but Intel has indicated they will start to become available later this year “from leading mobile and desktop ecosystem partners.”
The architectural, engineering, and building, as well as the design and manufacturing industries, are target markets for Intel Arc Pro A-series graphics certifications. Additionally, Intel Arc Pro GPUs run the open source libraries in the Intel oneAPI Rendering Toolkit, which are widely used and incorporated in top rendering tools, and are geared for media and entertainment applications like Blender.
Leading mobile and desktop ecosystem partners will start offering Intel Arc Pro GPUs later this year. Don’t forget to check out our article comparing Intel Arc A750 vs GeForce RTX 3060 (in AAA games)!
