- Kyle Chua
Intel Details Next-Gen Xeon Processors and AI PCs at Innovation Event
Updated: Dec 18, 2023
Intel is betting big on artificial intelligence (AI) applications.
The silicon giant at its third annual Innovation event announced a range of technologies that looks to make AI more accessible across different workloads, including new hardware products and advancements in packaging technologies.
"AI represents a generational shift, giving rise to a new era of global expansion where computing is even more foundational to a better future for all," said Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger. "For developers, this creates massive societal and business opportunities to push the boundaries of what’s possible, to create solutions to the world’s biggest challenges and to improve the life of every person on the planet."
One of the event's highlights is the reveal of the next-generation Intel Xeon processors, which boast a combination of performance improvements and faster memory, all while using the same amount of power as the previous generation.
The Sierra Forest Xeon processor with E-core efficiency is expected to deliver 2.5x better rack density and 2.4x higher performance per watt over the previous generation. The 144-core processor launches within the first half of 2024, while a model with 288 cores is coming in the future.
Granite Rapids processors, packing P-core performance, are also set to closely follow the launch of Sierra Forest. These new processors tout double to triple the AI performance capabilities compared to the previous Xeon generation.
The fifth-generation Emerald Rapids Xeon processors, meanwhile, are slated to launch on schedule on 14 December 2023.
In 2025, Intel is also bringing the next-generation E-core Xeon, codenamed Clearwater Forest, to market on the Intel 18A process node.
Intel at the event also shed light on new AI PCs, which arrive with the launch of Intel Core Ultra processors on 14 December. These processors leverage Intel's first integrated neural processing unit to deliver power-efficient AI acceleration and local inference on the PC. Core Ultra also brings discrete-level graphics performance with onboard Intel Arc graphics.
For developers, Intel announced the general availability of Intel Developer Cloud for building and testing high-performance applications like AI. The company's new software solutions, including the 2023.1 release of the Intel Distribution of OpenVINO toolkit, were also announced.
Finally, Intel said its five-nodes-in-four-years process development program is moving according to plan, with Intel 7 already in high-volume manufacturing, Intel 4 manufacturing-ready and Intel 3 on track for the end of this year. An Intel 20A wafer with the first test chips for Intel’s Arrow Lake processor was also showcased at the event, along with a test chip package built with Universal Chiplet Interconnect Express (UCIe) and fabricated on Intel 3. UCIe is an open industry specification that sets the standards for package-level integration of chiplets.
"AI going forward must deliver more access, scalability, visibility, transparency and trust to the whole ecosystem," Gelsinger said.
Intel at its Innovation 2023 event announced a range of technologies that looks to make AI more accessible across different workloads, including new hardware products and advancements in packaging technologies.
One of the event's highlights is the reveal of the next-generation Intel Xeon processors, which boast a combination of performance improvements and faster memory, all while using the same amount of power as the previous generation.
The new Emerald Rapids Xeon processors are launching on 14 December, while the first Sierra Forest Xeon processors are launching within the first half of 2024.