Intel's upcoming Xeon 7, codenamed 'Diamond Rapids', is said to boast a staggering 192 cores, 16 memory channels, and a power consumption of 500 watts.
Intel's upcoming Xeon "Diamond Rapids" processors are poised to redefine the high-performance server market, boasting up to 192 cores and a thermal design power (TDP) of 500 watts. These processors, due for release in 2026, will support up to 16 DDR5 memory channels, potentially offering memory bandwidth exceeding 1.6 TB/s - double that of the previous generation, Granite Rapids.
The Diamond Rapids processors will be housed in a new LGA9324 package, signifying a revamped memory subsystem and PCIe lane setup, including PCIe Gen 6 support. The processors will also introduce support for Intel's Advanced Performance Extensions (APX) and improved AI/machine learning acceleration such as native support for floating-point formats like NVIDIA's TF32 and FP8.
In contrast, AMD's EPYC "Venice" CPUs, based on older architectures, will offer significantly fewer cores and memory channels compared to Diamond Rapids. Exact specifications for Venice are not yet available, but it is understood that they will have far fewer cores (usually up to 64 cores in later Zen architectures) and fewer memory channels (usually 8 DDR4 channels) versus Diamond Rapids' 192 cores and 16 DDR5 channels.
The Oak Stream platform, which will support one, two, or four sockets, will house the Xeon 7 'Diamond Rapids' processors. This platform is expected to launch alongside Intel's Jaguar Shores AI accelerators, targeting high-core-count server racks with up to 768 cores in a 4-socket system while maintaining a power envelope of around 2000W per server rack.
In a comparative table:
| Specification | Intel Xeon Diamond Rapids (2022) | AMD EPYC Venice (Older Gen) | |-------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------| | Cores | Up to 192 Panther Cove cores | Up to ~64 cores (depends on exact model) | | Memory Channels | Up to 16 DDR5 channels | Around 8 DDR4 channels | | Memory Bandwidth | Over 1.6 TB/s (12,800 MT/s support expected) | Lower bandwidth, DDR4-based | | TDP | Approx. 500W | Much lower per CPU, varies by model | | Socket | LGA 9324 | SP3/similar AMD server sockets | | PCIe Support | PCIe Gen 6 | PCIe Gen 4 (in recent EPYC generations) | | Release Date | Expected 2026 | Released years ago (Venice is legacy) | | AI/Inference Acceleration | Native support for FP8, TF32; Advanced Performance Extensions (APX) | Limited or no native AI acceleration |
In short, Diamond Rapids processors are set to offer significant improvements in core count, memory bandwidth, and AI acceleration capabilities compared to AMD's Venice generation EPYC CPUs. With a major release planned for 2026, Intel's Diamond Rapids processors aim to cater to future-ready high-throughput and AI workloads.
The Intel Xeon "Diamond Rapids" processors, due for release in 2026, will leverage advancements in data-and-cloud-computing technology, featuring up to 192 cores and PCIe Gen 6 support, making them a viable solution for high-performance server applications. This technology-driven innovation from Intel is poised to surpass the capabilities of older AMD EPYC "Venice" CPUs, providing increased cores, memory bandwidth, and AI/machine learning acceleration, thereby setting a new standard in the server market.
