Intel Arc GPU users lose Deep Link features as support ends without notice
Intel has quietly discontinued its Deep Link technology, the suite of features designed to enhance collaboration between its CPUs and GPUs. Notably, the confirmation did not come through an official announcement, but via a developer comment on a public...
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Jacob Roach / Digital Trends
Intel has quietly discontinued its Deep Link technology, the suite of features designed to enhance collaboration between its CPUs and GPUs. Notably, the confirmation did not come through an official announcement, but via a developer comment on a public GitHub thread, where an Intel representative acknowledged that Deep Link is “no longer actively maintained.”
Launched in 2020 alongside Intel’s push into discrete graphics, Deep Link aimed to improve performance and efficiency in systems combining Intel 11th, 12th, or 13th generation processors with Intel Arc GPUs. It bundled several features like Dynamic Power Share which redirected power between the CPU and GPU based on load, Hyper Encode that enabled multi-engine video encoding, and Stream Assist for offloading media tasks to the GPU during live streaming.
Deep Link features were intended to enhance performance in applications like OBS, DaVinci Resolve, and HandBrake, but users reportedly struggled to get them working reliably. The user who initiated the GitHub thread confirming the discontinuation of Deep Link, reported being unable to enable Stream Assist with OBS on a new Arc B580 GPU and Core Ultra 7 265K CPU. After a month without resolution, Intel confirmed that software development had been discontinued.
Even earlier Alchemist GPU users faced similar issues, suggesting the technology was problematic across generations. Given the limited adoption, high validation demands, and lack of support for newer platforms like Meteor Lake, Intel likely concluded that Deep Link was too niche to justify continued investment.
Intel additionally confirmed that while existing systems may still benefit from the technology, no further updates or bug fixes will be provided.
The discontinuation of Deep Link suggests that the technology had limited impact, despite Intel’s early ambitions to foster tighter integration across its CPU and GPU offerings. It could also mean that the company is narrowing its focus as it prepares for its next-generation Celestial GPUs.
Whether similar integrated performance technologies will return in future Intel platforms remains uncertain. For now, Deep Link joins a growing list of quietly sunset software efforts as Intel refines its place in the competitive GPU landscape.
Kunal Khullar is a computing writer at Digital Trends who contributes to various topics, including CPUs, GPUs, monitors, and…
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