Author: Shiloh Kelly
On January 10, 2023, Intel announced the release of its 4th generation Xeon Scalable processors (dubbed Sapphire Rapids), Xeon CPU Max Series, and Data Center GPU Max Series. These products will improve the security, efficiency, data center capabilities, and artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities of supercomputers and the cloud.
This article discusses Intel’s goals for these products and their features.
Why Are Xeon Scalable Processors so popular?
Millions of Xeon processors are currently in use worldwide. However, Intel Xeon Scalable processors are among the fastest and most powerful workstations, and server processors, with the 4th generation being the most recent.
These processors are popular because they can be used in various environments and applications.
The 4th Generation Intel Xeon Scalable processors are the company’s most environmentally friendly data center processors, with various features to help manage power and performance.
These characteristics make them one of the best processors for achieving sustainability objectives. They also provide a variety of security capabilities to guard against threats such as data breaches and malware.
Among the features of the 4th Generation Intel Xeon Scalable processors are:
- High memory bandwidth
- DDR5 memory support for eight channels
- PCIe 5.0 input/output (I/O) with 80 lanes
- Over 60 active cores
- Memory capacity of eight terabytes (TB)
What Are the 4th Generation Intel Xeon Scalable Processors Models?
The latest Intel Xeon Scalable processors (4th Gen) models come in five categories: Gold 5000, Platinum 8000, Bronze 3000, Gold 6000, and Silver 4000.
For example, the Intel Xeon Gold 5400 and 6400 are optimized for multi-cloud and data center workloads. They also have enhanced security, workload acceleration, capacity, and memory speed.
On the other hand, the Intel Xeon Platinum 8400 processors are made for state-of-the-art AI, data analytics, and hybrid cloud data centers.
High performance, workload acceleration, and advanced security are all features of these processors. As a result, you must first determine your objectives before shopping for models.
Intel Xeon CPU and Data Center GPU Max Series
Intel’s CPU Max Series is the only x86 processor with high bandwidth memory, allowing it to ramp up numerous high-performance computing workloads without needing code changes. On the other hand, Intel claims that the GPU Max Series is its highest-density processor and will be accessible in numerous models to meet the needs of a wide range of customers.
The CPU Max Series comes with up to 64GB of bandwidth memory, which boosts data output for AI and HPC workloads.
Also, in real-world applications, the CPU Max Series outperforms the 3rd Generation Intel Xeon Scalable processors by up to four times.
The Data Center GPU Max Series has over 100 million transistors and provides improved output to workloads in life sciences, physics, and finance.
When the CPU and GPU Max Series are combined, your platform can achieve up to 13 times the performance of previous generations when running open-source code.
What Is the Market Impact of Intel’s 4th Generation Xeon Scalable Processors?
With the release of these new Intel processors, cloud providers will no longer have to rely solely on AMD Genoa CPUs in the data center. At a high level, Genoa’s impressive PCI lane count suggests that they are superior. However, selecting the best CPU is more complicated.
You must consider cost, performance, compatibility with other system components, and power.
Not to mention the importance of understanding the workload to match it with the appropriate CPU.
At the moment, there is no simple answer to whether Saphhire Rapids or Genoa is superior.
However, it will become more apparent as other companies such as Lenovo, Dell, and Supermicro release their systems.
Overall, the enterprise IT organization is responsible for selecting the appropriate systems for its applications.
The Bottom Line
On January 10, Intel launched its 4th Generation Xeon Scalable processors, GPU, and CPU Max Series. The company hopes to improve supercomputer security, data center performance, and AI capabilities with these products. The Sapphire Rapids are available in various models, including the Gold 4000, Gold 6000, Platinum 8000, and Bronze 3000.