Farewell Legacy Names: Intel Ushers in Xeon 6 Era

During the Vision 2024 event, Intel announced a transformative rebranding strategy for its Xeon processor lineup. The forthcoming sixth generation of Xeon processors will be designated as Xeon 6, a move primarily aimed at streamlining the company’s product nomenclature to align with the latest naming conventions of its consumer-grade processors.

The Sierra Forest, utilizing an all-E-Core design, and Granite Rapids, based on an all-P-Core architecture, are both members of the Xeon 6 family. They are anticipated to launch in the coming months, with Sierra Forest expected to debut within this quarter, marking the first product to be introduced under the new naming schema.

Crafted using Intel’s 3 process technology, Sierra Forest will boast up to 288 Sierra Glen cores. Compared to the second-generation Xeon processors, it will deliver a 2.4-fold increase in performance per watt and a 2.7-fold rise in single-rack performance. Intel asserts that customers could replace old systems nearly on a 3:1 ratio, significantly reducing energy consumption to achieve carbon emission reduction goals.

Similarly, Granite Rapids is manufactured using Intel’s 3 process technology and employs Redwood Cove architecture cores. It will support the MXFP4 data format, a new precision format endorsed by the Open Compute Project (OCP) and major industry players such as NVIDIA, AMD, and ARM, poised to revolutionize performance metrics. Compared to the fourth-generation Xeon that utilized FP16, it could reduce the next-token latency by up to 6.5 times and run the Llama-2 model with 70 billion parameters. Intel indicates that running a 70 billion 4-bit model entirely on the new Xeon would require only 86 milliseconds.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, Sierra Forest is projected to ship in the second quarter of 2024. As for Granite Rapids, its shipping schedule remains unannounced, but Intel plans to release it shortly after Sierra Forest, suggesting a launch within this year.