Intel has a new series of server CPUs on the way in the form of the Xeon 6700E “Sierra Forest” lineup, which will max out at 144 cores. This is the introduction of the new Xeon 6 server core (P-Core, and also E-Core, specific from workload and platform. Intel however is hammering down that the Xeon 6700E CPUs are purpose designed for TDP throughout in high density compute and scale-out workloads and that this is best suited for an open ecosystem approach in design.
The All New Intel Xeon 6700E
So what prompted Intel to divide up its Xeon lineup and offer both P-Core and E-Core? The new lower-power Xeon E-core chips are said to target each workload requirement, while the higher-end core Xeon chips can further cater to web and micro-server needs, database and analytics needs, infrastructure and storage, networking, and edge computing needs, says Intel.
The performance uplift details for the Xeon 6700E lineup – web and microservices, networking, media, and data services – which highlight large gains are available from Intel as well.
The architecture details of the Xeon 6700E E-Core family, as for the 144 cores, the CPUs could handle up to 350W CPU TDPs and with support for up to 8-channel DDR5-6400 memory. These chips have a modular compute die architecture and are built on an Intel 4 process node featuring Crestmont E-Core architecture that brings a redesigned single-threaded core design, cache sizes, AVX2 support, and out-of-order execution capabilities. The Xeon 6700E E-Core lineup includes seven SKUs ranging from 64 to 144 cores, offering clock speeds up to 3.2 GHz, L3 cache sizes, and TDPs up to 330W.
These CPUs support DDR5-6400 memory speeds and feature accelerators such as Intel DSA, IAA, QAT, and DLB engines. Intel highlights long-term availability for select SKUs and shares performance benchmarks against previous-gen Xeon chips and AMD’s EPYC Bergamo CPUs, showcasing competitive performance and efficiency gains.
Early customer testimonials praise the Xeon 6700E lineup for its superior performance per watt and power efficiency, with significant reductions in power utilization and cooling costs in data center environments. Intel has begun shipping Sierra Forest CPUs with up to 144 E-Cores to customers, with plans for higher-end 288 E-Core chips in Q1 2025.
