Intel is preparing to unveil its cutting-edge Xeon 6 series server CPUs, known as Granite Rapids and Sierra Forest. These forthcoming processors are set to deliver a significant boost in performance, foreshadowing a new era of computing power, albeit with a trade-off in increased power consumption. Two days ago, Yuuki_Ans posted information about the Beechnut City validation platform. Today, he updated the X thread with more information that Intel is significantly boosting core counts across its new Xeon 6 lineup. The flagship Xeon 6 6980P is a behemoth, packing 128 cores with a blistering 500 Watt Thermal Design Power (TDP) rating. In fact, Intel is equipping five of its Xeon 6 CPUs with a sky-high 500 W TDP, including the top four Granite Rapids parts and even the flagship Sierra Forest SKU, which is composed entirely of efficiency cores. This marks a substantial increase from Intel's previous Xeon Scalable processors, which maxed out at 350-385 Watts.

The trade-off for this performance boost is a dramatic rise in power consumption. By nearly doubling the TDP ceiling, Intel can double the core count from 64 to 128 cores on its Granite Rapids CPUs, vastly improving its multi-core capabilities. However, this focus on raw performance over power efficiency means server manufacturers must redesign their cooling solutions to accommodate Intel's flagship 500 W parts adequately. Failure to do so could lead to potential thermal throttling issues. Intel's next-gen Xeon CPU architectures are shaping up to be one of the most considerable generational leaps in recent memory. Still, they come with a trade-off in power consumption that vendors and data centers will need to address. Densely packing thousands of these 500-Watt SKUs will lead to new power and thermal challenges, and we wait to see future data center projects utilizing them.

Intel's next-generation Xeon 6 processors, codenamed Granite Rapids and Sierra Forest, are poised to shake up the CPU market with its cutting-edge architecture and features. Hardware leaker YuuKi_AnS has provided the first glimpse of Intel's upcoming platform, revealing images of the vibrant red-colored validation platform dubbed Beechnut City. Beechnut City serves as a crucial testing ground for the forthcoming Xeon 6 series, which will comprise both the Granite Rapids (P-Core architecture) and Sierra Forest (E-Core architecture) processors. Although not intended for commercial release, this validation platform is designed to rigorously test and validate the new CPUs. The dual-socket LGA-4710 platform boasts the capability to support up to two Sierra Forest or Granite Rapids CPUs simultaneously, promising a significant performance boost for data centers and other high-performance computing applications.

According to YuuKi_AnS's leaks, the Xeon 6 series may feature SKU names such as Xeon 6 6900E/P (Platinum), Xeon 6 6700E/P (Gold), Xeon 6 6500P (Silver), and Xeon 6 6300P (Bronze). One of the platform's standout features is its support for 32 DIMMs in 16-channel memory system, similar to the previously discussed Avenue City platform, which can accommodate up to 24 DDR5-6400 DIMMs in 12-channel memory. The Sierra Forest variant with 144 cores is expected to launch in the first half of this year, while the 288-core variant is slated for release in the second half. Notably, the Xeon 6 series will mark a significant shift in Intel's CPU lineup, as it will be the first CPU series to feature only Efficient cores, akin to AMD's Zen Dense cores (such as Bergamo). This move aligns with Intel's strategy to cater to the growing demand for high-performance computing and data center applications, where energy efficiency and performance are essential.There is also a picture of server configuration of Avenue City was pictured a while ago, thanks to the previous leak of Yuuki_Ans, which can be seen below in addition to Beechnut City platform.