Intel is in the process of updating its server processors, the Xeon-Dsince the current they have been on the market for two years under the Ice Lake architecture. Although this technology has been competitive, the passage of time and today’s competition call for renewal. The successors of these servers, known as Granite Rapids-Dthey will not arrive before 2024, This means that in the course of the next months we will know more details about it.
The new Xeon-D processors, codenamed Granite Rapids-D with Redwood Cove cores, will come in different variants. The Xeon SP (Scalable) and AP (Advanced Performance) are the best known and most versatile, but the D variants stand out for having a higher number of cores but lower frequency or cache, which makes them ideal for simple but multi-core tasks. This is similar to what we’re seeing from AMD with their EPYC Bergamo processors and Zen 4c cores. Within the Xeon-D category based on the Granite Rapids-D, there will be two variants, the HCC (High Core Count) and XCC (Extreme Core Count)both designed for the BGA-4368 socket.
Granite Rapids-D will have several models
The HCC variant will feature a Granite Rapids LCC chiplet and four memory channels, while the XCC variant will feature a Granite Rapids HCC chiplet and eight memory channels. Besides, the XCC will have two I/O chiplets (inputs and outputs), compared to the single chiplet of the HCC variant.
The reason behind having two I/O chiplets in the XCC variant is to provide more connectivity and flexibility for interfaces like PCIe Express 5.0 and CXL 4.0. The first chiplet will take care of these features for the CPU, while the second chiplet will offer additional options for Ethernet and Accelerations.
Motherboard for Granite Rapids-D
The first motherboard design for the Granite Rapids-D showcases a design where networking and connectivity options abound.
Granite Rapids-D is still in development and Intel has not confirmed which version of Xeon Granite Rapids will be released first. However, The official appearance of this architecture suggests that Intel is advancing on its roadmap.
Fountain: videocardz
