Intel has announced general availability of its 2nd-Generation Intel Xeon Scalable processor – optimized for customers’ most demanding processing requirements from the intelligent edge to the cloud, and across artificial intelligence (AI) and 5G. Intel expects its 2nd-generation Intel Xeon Scalable processor to be used across the globe as the new foundation of data center processing.
New features built into the 2nd-Generation Intel Xeon Scalable processors include integrated Intel Deep Learning Boost (Intel DL Boost) for AI deep learning inferencing acceleration and support for Intel Optane DC persistent memory – a “revolutionary” technology according to Intel that would bring affordable, high-capacity persistent memory to Intel’s data-centric computing portfolio.
“Today’s announcements reflect Intel’s new data-centric strategy,” said Navin Shenoy, Intel executive vice president and general manager of the Data Center Group. “The portfolio of products announced today underscores our unmatched ability to move, store and process data across the most demanding workloads from the data center to the edge. Our 2nd-Generation Intel Xeon Scalable processor with built-in AI acceleration and support for the revolutionary Intel Optane DC persistent memory will unleash the next wave of growth for our customers.”
Key features of the 2nd-generation Intel Xeon Scalable processors would include:
- Integration of Intel Deep Learning Boost (Intel DL Boost) technology – optimized to accelerate AI inference workloads like image-recognition, object-detection and image-segmentation within data center, enterprise and intelligent-edge computing environments. Intel has worked extensively with ecosystem partners to optimize frameworks (TensorFlow, PyTorch, Caffe, MXNet and Paddle Paddle) and applications that take full advantage of Intel DL Boost technology. Customers can choose enhanced tools like OpenVINO to ease deployment.
- Support for the “revolutionary” Intel Optane DC persistent memory – which brings affordable high-capacity and persistence to Intel’s data-centric computing portfolio. By moving more data into memory, this breakthrough innovation allows users to unleash faster insights from their data and delivers up-to 36TB of system-level memory capacity when combined with traditional DRAM in an eight-socket system. This represents a 3-times increase in system memory capacity compared with the previous-generation Intel Xeon Scalable processor.
- Addition of several hardware-enhanced security features – that would help build a more trusted foundation for computing, including side channel protections built directly into hardware.
New Introductions Other Processor Families
Along with the introduction of the 2nd-Generation Intel Xeon Scalable processors, Intel unveiled several processor families optimized to fuel the workloads that drive business operations.
- Intel introduces its 56-core, 12 memory channel Intel Xeon Platinum 9200 processor. This processor is designed to deliver leadership socket-level performance and unprecedented DDR memory bandwidth in a wide variety of high-performance computing (HPC) workloads, AI applications and high-density infrastructure.
- Targeting networking applications, Intel introduced new network-optimized Intel Xeon Scalable processors built in collaboration with communications service providers to deliver more subscriber capacity and reduce bottlenecks in network function virtualized (NFV) infrastructure. Today, Intel Xeon Scalable processors are enabling high-performance, efficient, scalable and agile 5G-ready networks.
- Targeting computing at the edge, security and storage solutions, Intel unveiled the Intel Xeon D-1600 processor, a highly-integrated system-on-chip (SoC) designed for dense environments where power and space are limited, but per-core performance is essential. The next-generation SoC helps advance customers down the path to 5G and extend Intel’s solutions to the intelligent edge.
- Intel introduced its next-generation of 10nm FPGAs, built to enable transformative applications in edge computing, networking (5G/NFV) and data centers. The Intel Agilex FPGA family will offer customers application-specific optimization and customization to bring new levels of flexibility and agility to data-intensive infrastructure.
The latest memory and storage solutions available today from Intel include:
- Intel Optane DC persistent memory – brings breakthrough storage-class memory capacity to the Intel Xeon Scalable platform.
- Intel Optane SSD DC D4800X (Dual Port)Â – combines the performance of Intel Optane DC SSDs with the data resilience required by mission-critical high-availability enterprise IT applications. Dual port capability adds redundancy to the data path to deliver continued data access in the event of failures or service operations and upgrades.
- Intel SSD D5-P4326 (Intel QLC 3D NAND) – is an addition to Intel’s “first-to-market” PCIe QLC NAND SSDs for the data center. Using 64-Layer QLC technology (4 bits/cell), the product family would deliver large “affordable” capacities to read-intensive cloud workloads. Additional cost optimizations on the Intel SSD D5-P4326 would enable it to help accelerate HDD displacement in warm storage.
Intel Ethernet products
Intel is also meeting the high-speed connectivity needs of its customers with a portfolio of server Ethernet products from 1GbE to 100GbE that are at the foundation of networks across the world, from large hyper-scale cloud providers to the largest Fortune 1000 enterprises. Intel has shipped over 1.3 billion Ethernet ports while it now introduces the Intel Ethernet 800 Series adapter with Application Device Queues (ADQ) technology. The Intel Ethernet 800 series adapter features up to 100Gbps port speeds and is aimed at moving massive amounts of data in cloud, communications, storage and enterprise market segments. ADQ would increase application response time predictability while reducing application latency and improving throughput.
Availability
The 2nd-Generation Intel Xeon Scalable processors, the Intel Xeon D-1600 processor, Intel Optane DC persistent memory and Intel SSD D5-P4326 are all in general availability today. The Intel Ethernet 800 Series adapter is sampling now, with production scheduled for 2019’s third quarter.
The new Intel Agilex FPGA family of 10nm FPGAs will start sampling in the second half of 2019. Intel expects systems with Intel Xeon Platinum 9200 processors to start shipping in the first half of 2019 and ramping in the second half of the year. Availability of the Intel Optane DC SSD D4800X will be disclosed at a later date.
