In 2009, Intel gave up on developing Larrabee, a homegrown discrete GPU, targeted at PC gaming systems.

Now, some analysts are questioning whether Intel needs its own high-performance GPU, a driving force behind the fast-growing gaming, virtual reality, and artificial intelligence markets.

GPUs aren’t a big presence at the ongoing Intel Developer Forum, which is centered around the chip maker’s A.I. and VR strategy. Intel is highlighting its CPUs and FPGAs (field programmable gate arrays) for those categories, and the lack of a GPU to chase the hot markets could be a hole in the company’s product line.

Intel has never been a leader in graphics, and it hasn’t aggressively competed in the area, like Nvidia and AMD have. This week, it showed some progress in its graphics technology, saying its upcoming Kaby Lake PC chips will have integrated graphics processors with 4K support.

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