At Intel’s Vision 2024 event, which is held in Phoenix, AZ, has seen several key announcements. Still, perhaps one that has flown under the radar is their 6th Generation Xeon platform built on their Intel 3 node, which is aptly named Intel Xeon 6. It is set to launch in the future with two primary variants, including a Performance (P) core family based on Intel’s Sierra Forest architecture and an Efficiency (E) core-flavored variant based on Granite Rapids. Intel’s current branding surrounds a number of key nomenclatures, including Xeon ‘Scalable,’ which is used on the current 5th Generation Xeon Scalable Platform (Emerald Rapids).
As part of Intel’s Enterprise AI ecosystem, and set to launch sometime in the second half of 2024, the Intel Xeon 6 (Granite Rapids), Intel is ‘evolving’ the naming structure and branding for their Xeon line-up by ditching the ‘scalable’ from the nomenclature and opting to stick with the generation number.
Over the last year, we’ve extensively covered Intel’s Granite Rapids and Sierra Forest. For more information about Granite Rapids and Sierra Forest, here are some of our key pieces:
- Hot Chips 2023: Intel Details More on Granite Rapids and Sierra Forest Xeons
- Intel Previews Sierra Forest with 288 E-Cores, Announces Granite Rapids-D for 2025 Launch at MWC 2024
- IFS Reborn as Intel Foundry: Expanded Foundry Business Adds 14A Process To Roadmap
Intel debuted their Xeon Scalable branded processors in 2017 with the launch of the Xeon Platinum 8100 series, which was built using their Skylake microarchitecture. Moving forward to 2024, Intel is looking to build an ecosystem befitting the current demands of technologies within key areas such as data centers, Edge, and the PC. Intel is laying the foundations for what it calls ‘Intel Enterprise AI.’ Using a vast array of frameworks and accelerators and working closely with partners, ISVs, and GSIs to create a large and open ecosystem, the newly branded Intel Xeon 6 platforms will be key in the enterprise market as we advance.
Intel has adopted a newer and simpler nomenclature for Granite Rapids and Sierra Forest, starting with the Intel Xeon 6 processors. Intel’s Sierra Forest Xeon 6 processors are set to launch in Q2 of 2024, which include a chip featuring 288 E-cores. It will be the first generation to adopt this new branding, which is designed to ease customer navigation between models. Note that the Performance (P) core Intel Xeon 6 processors built on Granite Rapids will come later.
However, the key parts include the Xeon naming for enterprise, workstation, server, and data center, which isn’t changing. The second part is the generation number, which is highlighted in the 6 marking it as the 6th Generation of Intel’s Xeon platform.
As mentioned, Intel’s Xeon 6 processors, based on their Sierra Forest architecture, are set to launch in Q2 2024, while the Granite Rapids Xeon 6 platform is expected to come sometime in the second half of 2024.