In 2017, Intel announced its intention to re-enter the discrete graphics card market, marking its third attempt in this arena following the i740 and Larrabee.

By the end of 2020, Intel introduced the DG1, its initial offering upon its return to discrete graphics. However, this product was largely equivalent to an integrated graphics solution and failed to make a significant impact.

In June 2022, Intel launched its first ARC-branded desktop graphics card, the ARC A380. Despite the excitement, it was targeted at entry-level users and was not designed for gaming.

October 2022 witnessed the release of Intel's ARC A750/A770, heralded as its first genuine gaming graphics card.

Intel placed considerable emphasis on the ARC A7 series, embarking on extensive publicity campaigns that were both loud and assertive. The series was lauded for its advanced technology and impressive performance, with drivers receiving constant updates and optimizations, sometimes boosting performance severalfold.

Still, as Intel's first foray into this competitive market, the series lacked robust competitiveness. Partnerships and product diversity were limited, with only the core brand GUNNIR fully committed, while others like Acer and ASRock showed minimal engagement.

Intel also made attempts to penetrate the professional graphics card market, but these efforts went largely unnoticed.

According to the latest data from JPR, Intel's market share in graphics cards has dwindled to near-zero, peaking at 4% in the first quarter of 2023, which translates to roughly 250,000 units.

The silver lining is that the ARC graphics card development has revitalized Intel’s processor cores, with the Core Ultra 200V series preemptively adopting a second-generation architecture that competes favorably with AMD. The anticipated Panther Lake, expected to be the Core Ultra 300V series, aims to introduce a third-generation architecture next year.

Currently, the NVIDIA RTX 50 series dominates the market, with AMD temporarily relinquishing its position in the flagship domain. Meanwhile, there have been long-standing rumors of Intel's second-generation Battlemage graphics cards, but they remain elusive, likely debuting no sooner than next year’s CES conference.

Based on current plans and market conditions, Intel's second-generation ARC series is poised for enhanced performance and elevated positioning, potentially reaching the higher-end of the market, yet even the third-generation Celestial series may struggle to claim a flagship status.

There is widespread concern that if Intel's discrete graphics cards continue to falter amid the company’s broader challenges, they might abandon the effort prematurely. However, at least up to the third-generation, Intel appears committed to seeing their plans through.

The industry and gaming community alike hope Intel perseveres, as a lack of competition in the market would be undesirable.