Intel has launched new Xeon 6 processors to boost the company’s data center and networking portfolios.
Consisting of the Intel Xeon 6700/6500 series with P-cores (Performance-cores) and the Intel Xeon 6 for network and Edge, the chipmaker claims its latest offering delivers a CPU for the “broadest set of workloads in the industry.”
As part of the announcement, Intel also unveiled two new Ethernet controller and network adapter product lines – the E830 and the E610.
A CPU for the “broadest set of workloads”
Described by Intel as the “ideal CPU for modern data centers” due to its ability to pair “exceptionally well with a GPU as a host node CPU,” the Intel Xeon 6700/6500 series with P-cores delivers an average of 1.4x better performance when compared to 5th Gen Intel Xeon processors across a “wide range of enterprise workloads.”
According to the company, when compared to 5th Generation AMD Epyc processors, the Xeon 6 processors also deliver up to 1.5x better performance in AI inference on chip while using one-third fewer cores, in addition to providing a “substantial” performance-per-watt-efficiency that Intel says will allow for 5:1 consolidation of a five-year-old server, on average.
The Intel Xeon 6700/6500 series has a TWP of between 150 to 300W and contains up to 86 cores, up to eight channels of DDR5 MRDIMM (multiplex ranked DIMM) memory, up to 88 lanes for PCIe 5.0 (or 136 lanes for single socket design), and up to 64 lanes CXL 2.0.
Meanwhile, the Intel Xeon 6 for network and Edge is a system-on-chip (SoC) that the company says has been designed for high-performance and power efficiency, allowing it to address “the growing demand for network and Edge solutions in an AI-driven world.”
Using built-in accelerators for vRAN media, AI, and network security, Intel says its Xeon 6 SoCs can deliver up to 2.4x the RAN capacity and a 70 percent performance improvement in performance-per-watt compared to previous generations.
Furthermore, as the industry’s first SoC with a built-in media accelerator, the Xeon 6 for network and Edge delivers up to 14x performance-per-watt gain when compared to the Intel Xeon 6538, while its AI RAN performance per core is improved by up to 3.2x compared with the previous generation with vRAN Boost.
“We are intensely focused on bringing cutting-edge leadership products to market that solve our customers’ greatest challenges and help drive the growth of their business,” said Michelle Johnston Holthaus, interim co-CEO of Intel and CEO of Intel Products. “The Xeon 6 family delivers the industry’s best CPU for AI and groundbreaking features for networking, while simultaneously driving efficiency and bringing down the total cost of ownership.”
As was the case with Intel’s Xeon 6 E-core processors which were first unveiled last year, the chipmaker’s P-core offering is built on a compatible architecture with a shared software stack and an open ecosystem of hardware and software vendors.
Addressing networking needs
In addition to unveiling the new Xeon 6 processors, Intel also launched two new Ethernet controller and network adapter product lines to address the growing demands of enterprise, telecommunications, cloud, high-performance computing (HPC), Edge, and AI applications.
Optimized for high-density virtualized workloads across enterprise, cloud, telecom, and Edge environments., the Intel Ethernet E830 Controllers and Network Adapters deliver up to 200GE (Gigabit Ethernet) bandwidth while providing flexible port configurations and advanced precision time capabilities, including Precision Time Measurement (PTM).
Intel says the initial availability of the E830 family will include dual-port 25GbE PCIe and OCP 3.0-compliant adapters, with additional configurations coming later this year.
By comparison, the Intel Ethernet E610 Controllers and Network Adapters will be available in a variety of speeds and form factors, supporting 10GBASE-T, 5G, 2.5G, and 1000BASE-T technologies to deliver high-performance connectivity for data center control planes, workstations, and Edge applications.
According to Intel, the E610 family of products offers “outstanding power efficiency, advanced manageability, and robust security features that simplify network administration and ensure maximum network integrity,” whilst consuming up to 50 percent less power than previous generations.
“In today’s interconnected world, networking is essential to the success of business and technology transformation,” said Bob Ghaffari, VP for Intel’s network and Edge group. “With the launch of the Intel Ethernet E830 and E610 products, we are helping customers meet the growing demand for high-performance, energy-efficient solutions that optimize network infrastructures, lower operational costs, and enhance TCO.”
