Intel is set to release Emerald Rapids in Q4 2023
In January this year, Intel introduced the fourth-generation Xeon Scalable processors, Sapphire Rapids. Originally slated for delivery in 2021, the multiple delays of Sapphire Rapids have directly impacted Intel’s subsequent release plans for Xeon Scalable processors, such as the upcoming Emerald Rapids.
Although there were rumors that the timeline for Emerald Rapids would also be pushed back, it seems that Intel remains committed to advancing the project on schedule. According to Wccftech, Intel plans to launch Emerald Rapids in the fourth quarter of this year. In a departure from previous reports, new information suggests that Emerald Rapids will be limited to single and dual-socket systems, featuring 320MB of L3 cache rather than the previously mentioned 120MB.
Emerald Rapids will maintain compatibility with Sapphire Rapids, continuing to utilize the Eagle Stream platform. It will still employ the 10nm Enhanced SuperFin process, also known as Intel 7, with overall higher efficiency. Emerald Rapids will incorporate Raptor Cove architecture cores, an optimized version of the Golden Cove architecture, with an anticipated 5% to 10% IPC improvement. Offering up to 64 cores and 128 threads, the processor will have a base frequency of 2.6 GHz, 320MB of L3 cache, 128MB of L2 cache, support for up to 4TB of DDR5-5600 memory, and a TDP increased to 375W. Furthermore, the new chip will continue to support a range of accelerators, including Intel Data Streaming Accelerator, Intel QuickAssist Technology, Intel Dynamic Load Balancer, Intel Advanced Matrix Extensions, and Intel Memory Analysis Accelerator.
Compared to Sapphire Rapids, Emerald Rapids is expected to deliver a performance boost, although it still falls short of the latest AMD EPYC processors in terms of core and thread count. Following Emerald Rapids will be Granite Rapids, where Intel is anticipated to make more significant changes, adopting a new process and architecture, and potentially arriving next year.
