Intel released a schedule of processor launches for the enterprise segment that will occur until 2025. Following the launch of the 4th generation Xeon “Sapphire Rapids”, the company confirmed that the successor line will be launched later this year with performance improvements to compete with AMD’s 4th generation EPYC.
In addition, the company announced its expectations for the launch of Xeon “Sierra Forest”, a line of processors for servers and data centers that will use its most efficient core architecture. This information was revealed at an investor conference on Wednesday (29); check out the details below.
The brand’s scalable processors will have a new generation later this year. Dubbed “Emerald Rapids”, the 5th generation of Xeon is already in the sampling phase and should begin to be made available in the last quarter of 2023.
According to Intel, the hardware will be built with better quality silicon and will focus on delivering more performance per watt using the same power profile, allowing the core density to be increased to rival the powerful 96-core AMD EPYC 9654P. In comparison, the Xeon Platinum 8490H is equipped with 60 cores.
The new models will be compatible with the current Eagle Stream platform that supports 4th generation Xeon processors, allowing companies to upgrade to the new line of hardware at no additional cost.
The 6th generation Xeon was also presented at the investor conference. According to Intel, this family of processors will stand out for offering 1.5 TB/s of DDR5 memory bandwidth — an 80% increase over the “Sapphire Rapids”. The hardware will also support DDR5 RAM at 8,000 MT/s.
This will be the first iteration of the server chip lineup to feature Intel 3 lithography, ensuring improvements in energy efficiency. However, to offer a product with the best performance per watt in its portfolio, Intel reserves new models that use its “E” cores that should be launched next to the “Granite Rapids” line in 2024.
Intel intends to divide its server processor family into two lines: high performance and high efficiency. High-performance models include the “Emerald Rapids” and “Granite Rapids” chips, while lower-power hardware will be represented by the “Sierra Forest” and “Clearwater Forest” series.
Xeon “Sierra Forest” processors will be launched with versions up to 144 cores of high efficiency (“E” cores) in the first half of 2024, and like “Granite Rapids”, will be based on Intel Lithography 3.
Finally, in 2025, the manufacturer will introduce the Xeon “Clearwater Forest” line as a successor to the “Sierra Forest”. The lithography used will be Intel 18A, which will be the evolution of 20A (2 nanometers), to ensure that servers and data centers process workloads optimally with more energy savings.
Intel has demonstrated an ambitious timeline for launching new Xeon processors — that’s five generations in just two years. With fierce competition from AMD, which is increasingly strong in the segment, Intel seeks to remain competitive with the appeal of the energy efficiency of its products.