In 2015, we first reviewed Broadwell-DE, then with up to 8 cores, a low TDP and built-in networking. Now, the new Intel Xeon 6 SoC, codenamed Granite Rapids-D is expected to hit 72 cores later in 2025, with the initial batch up to 42 cores this quarter/ half. What is more, these have up to 200Gbps of networking and extra built-in acceleration.
Intel Xeon 6 SoC is Here Granite Rapids-D is HUGE
When I saw this slide, I got excited. Up to 72 cores! Intel is putting a lot of effort behind the Intel Xeon 6 SoC.
Here is the initial SKU list. Unfortunately, the starting price is now $934 and that only gets you 100Gbps of networking. In the Broadwell-DE days, the line was awesome because it could be used for low-end virtualization servers. Now the pricing is such that it is really focused on embedded markets.
The new line has vRAN Boost in some of the SKUs. Most have 100G or 200G of Ethernet onboard, but the Xeon 6533P-B does not. We get QAT support across the SKUs at this point.
Intel also has its AMX since this is a P-core design. That means Intel has a decent amount of AI acceleration built-in with AMX. If you think about the embedded market, that is a great one for built-in acceleration.
Some SKUs also have the media transcode accelerator for video.
We do not have information on the higher core count SKUs.
Final Words
Intel has a really cool line with the Xeon D series. It is a market that AMD has struggled to keep pace with. AMD has the EPYC 8004 Siena, but that lacks the full embedded options and the built-in networking. This might be one of the new Intel offerings that I am most excited about today.
I was told that the lower-core count parts in the list above up to 42 cores are due by the end of next month. The higher core count parts are due Q4 2025.
How many/speed of PCIe lanes?
Prior gens were ideal for homelabs, with ECC memory capacity, low power and 10 Gbps networking. They were a practical middle-ground between a client PC and full-blown server. Availability, and to some extent cost, was always an issue though.
However I can’t see this gen being used much outside the intended basestation use due to the higher TDP, unit cost, and higher-end networking?
There is definitely now a size-able gap between the Atom C-series embedded processors and these chips; wish they’d either offer lower end Xeon-D SKUs or significantly enhance the Atom C-series processors. I’m not seeing an appealing option here on the homelab side sadly.
Something in the 8-24 core range; up to 256GB (or maybe 512GB) of DDR5 memory; PCIe Gen 5 (somewhere in the 32-64 channels range) would be nice. Was holding out on the Broadwell-D systems in the homelab, definitely a challenge here to figure out what the next upgrade hop will be.
Just make sure it’s LGA 4677 compatible so there’s an upgrade path for the W-9 and I’ll be happy.
@Austin Zappas these are BGA parts which solder directly to the motherboard. There is no socket, there are no upgrades.
There seems to be a decade long, concerted effort to do away with mid tier performance and cost computing platforms, and to which, encompassing more than CPUs. Motivated perhaps by a desire to get users to purchase higher cost/margin product lines in a falling if not exhausted user category, the hardware sector for many years having pushed for selfish reasons forced obsolescence, if not simply hostile business models, e.g. pushed onto cloud; to entities outside of the producer segment want greater limits, i.e. DC’s backdoor push to have Facebook censor content. Because of concerns pertaining to dual use of such products at the lower end of other hardware sectors such as being incorporated into very low cost, field able hoc weapons and ISR gathering platforms, to being a crude means to compensate for ineffective export controls on product distribution, controls predicated about minimum human, to insincere efforts and expectations, e.g. NIVIDIA GPUs being sold by grey product sellers in Shenzhen. Reduce product line availability also impacting peripheral products such as mid tier RAID controllers to storage housings choices.
I was curious does the fact that there is a NICs integrated into the SOC have any improvements on latency and speed verses using a NIC in the pcie slot? I know these chips aren’t really designed for a NAS or forbidden Router. But if you do have a latency sensitive operation would there be any benefit for an integrated NIC?