On top of the alleged developmental problems with the upcoming Battlemage GPUs, it looks like Intel could also lose AIB partners that are reportedly strong-armed into exclusive collaborations with Nvidia. According to Russian Youtube channel PRO Hi-Tech, Nvidia is once again pulling a page from the GeForce Partner Program playbook that was impacting AMD a few years ago.
PRO Hi-Tech reports that Nvidia is threatening any AIB partner in China that has plans to collaborate with Intel for the Arc Battlemage GPU. Depending on the extent of the collaboration with Intel, Nvidia would impose GeForce RTX supply limitations or even outright ban the “rogue” AIBs. This information was relayed through an AIB employee that would like to remain anonymous.
With the GeForce Partner Program, Nvidia was more or less applying the same pressure on AIBs releasing AMD cards, but was forced to sunset the initiative within a single year because of the industry outcry. Meanwhile, Intel is making significant efforts to remain profitable when it comes to the Arc dGPU brand due to developmental and production issues just one year after the launch of the Alchemist cards. Nvidia’s anti-competitive behavior could explain why so few AIB ventured to offer non-reference Intel Alchemist cards up until now, to the point where Team Blue already discontinued its own Limited Edition A770 cards.
