At the Hot Chips event this week, Intel unveiled technical specifications and features of its Granite Rapids and Sierra Forrest processors coming in 2024, dubbed Efficient-core (E-core) and Performance-core (P-core), respectively.
At the Hot Chips event this week, Intel unveiled technical specifications and features of its Granite Rapids and Sierra Forrest processors coming in 2024, dubbed Efficient-core (E-core) and Performance-core (P-core), respectively.
Intel’s P-core models are poised to excel in delivering robust performance for vital workloads like AI, offering the added advantage of the lowest total cost of ownership. Meanwhile, the E-cores are geared towards enhancing efficiency to effectively compete in cloud environments. Intel also announced additional information on its upcoming 5th Gen Xeon processors launching later this year and new capabilities related to its Intel Agilex 9 Direct RF-Series FPGAs.
The New Intel Xeon Platform
The new Intel Xeon platform introduces a modular system-on-chip (SoC) approach, enhancing scalability and flexibility while catering to the growing demands of AI, cloud, and enterprise installations. The innovative architecture offers two socket-compatible processors, maximizing investment value while meeting diverse workload needs.
| P-core and E-core | Shared IP, firmware, and OS stack |
| Fastest DDR and MCR DIMMs | New Intel Flat Memory for data movement |
| CXL 2.0 support with backward compatibility | Advanced I/O with PCIe 5.0/CXL 2.0 |
Intel Xeon E-core Processors (Sierra Forest)
Enhanced (E-core) processors deliver density-optimized compute with exceptional power-performance density. These processors excel in cloud-native and hyperscale workloads.
| 2.5x better rack density | 2.4x higher performance per watt |
| Support for 1S and 2S servers | TDP as low as 200W |
| Modern instruction set with security and AVX | Foundational memory RAS features |
Intel Xeon P-cores Processors (Granite Rapids)
Optimized for high-core performance workloads, Granite Rapids processors offer low TCO. These processors also enhance AI performance and feature built-in accelerators for targeted workloads.
| 2-3x better performance for mixed AI workloads | Enhanced Intel AMX with new FP16 instructions |
| Higher memory bandwidth and core count | Socket scalability from one to eight sockets |
Intel Agilex 9 Direct RF-Series FPGAs
The Intel Agilex 9 Direct RF-Series FPGAs introduce integrated 64 Gsps (giga-samples per second) data converters and a wideband agility reference design. This design uses wideband and narrowband receivers, offering the FPGA an impressive bandwidth of 32 GHz RF.
Intel’s demonstration at the 2023 Hot Chips conference illustrates its new processor architecture offers a great blend of performance, efficiency, and adaptability via chiplet-based heterogeneous integration.
Availability
- The 5th Gen Intel Xeon processors (code-named Emerald Rapids) are currently sampling with customers and are scheduled to launch in the fourth quarter of 2023.
- The E-core Intel Xeon processors (Sierra Forest) are slated for launch during the first half of 2024.
- The P-core Intel Xeon processors (Granite Rapids) release is expected shortly after the E-core processors.
- Intel Agilex 9 Direct RF FPGAs have already been delivered to BAE systems
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