Arc GPUs are performing adequately in benchmarks thanks to Intel’s strenuous efforts to bolster its drivers to compete with the big dogs, AMD and NVIDIA. In that spirit, today they are receiving a big upgrade piloting them into the right direction. As of June 10th, 2022, the entirety of Intel’s Arc A-Series mobile lineup is now compatible with the Vulkan 1.3 specification. For those unaware, Khronos group introduced Vulkan 1.3 earlier this year in January, their first spec update in two years. As you’d expect, AMD and NVIDIA pushed driver updates almost instantly, adding support for this new spec. Intel also followed suite, but for its Intel UHD and Iris Xe lineup of integrated and discrete mobile graphics. Now, Intel Arc Alchemist is the latest addition to join the Vulkan 1.3 family of products. The official list of supported SKUs include Arc 3, Arc 5, and Arc 7 GPUs. Again, all mobile variants and no word on when desktop support is coming for Arc A-Series. That being said, only three out of the five compliant GPUs are actually out. Arc A770M and Arc A550M are still a no-show and we have only heard about them through leaks and reports. However, now that the complete lineup is Vulkan 1.3 compatible, perhaps it’s an indication that it shouldn’t be long before we see the remaining SKUs on the shelves.
