Intel officially released its next generation of Xeon processors in mid-June. The first batch includes the Xeon 6700E series, codenamed Sierra Forest, featuring E-core design with up to 144 cores and 144 threads. In addition, there's the Xeon 6900E series, available in dual-core packages, which boasts up to 288 cores and 288 threads.
The Xeon 6000P series, codenamed Granite Rapids and designed with P-cores, is also set to launch. This series is divided into four sub-series: 6900P, 6700P, 6500P, and 6300P, with a maximum configuration of 128 cores and 256 threads.
AMD is not far behind, with its fifth-generation EPYC processors based on the Zen5 architecture also debuting in the second half of the year. The full-fledged Zen5 version features up to 128 cores and 256 threads. Meanwhile, the streamlined Zen5c variant is anticipated to offer a maximum of 192 cores and 384 threads.
At least in terms of pure core numbers, Intel will finally be on par with AMD. This marks the first time in seven years since AMD's EPYC series was introduced.
We now have information on the model names and basic specifications of the Xeon 6900P series.
The flagship model, Xeon 6980P, offers 128 cores and 256 threads with an L3 cache size of up to 504MB, averaging nearly 4MB per core, though still slightly behind the fifth-generation EPYC's 512MB.
The base clock speed is only 2.0GHz, though its boost clock speed remains unspecified. Its thermal design power (TDP) is a hefty 500W, comparable to that of the fifth-generation EPYC.
The Xeon 6979P offers 120 cores, maintaining the 504MB L3 cache. Its base clock speed is 2.1GHz, and it also has a TDP of 500W.
Xeon 6972P: 96 cores, 480MB L3 cache, 2.4GHz base clock, 500W TDP.
Xeon 6952P: 96 cores, 480MB L3 cache, 2.1GHz base clock, 400W TDP.
Xeon 6960P: 72 cores, 432MB L3 cache, 2.7GHz base clock, 500W TDP.
It's worth noting that the Xeon 6952P and 6960P models have confusing specifications. They feature fewer cores and smaller cache sizes but offer higher clock speeds and power consumption rates.
