At the Intel AI Everywhere event, the company has revealed the forthcoming release of 5th Gen Xeon processors, featuring AI acceleration in every core and expected to hit the market in 2024. Unveiled by Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger, these processors, previously codenamed Emerald Rapids, mark a significant advancement in computing. 

Designed to cater to AI, high-performance computing, networking, storage, databases, and security needs, they aim to enhance performance while minimising the total cost of ownership (TCO).

Intel Xeon powered data centres would be used by Microsoft, Google Cloud, and IBM, and many more would integrate them.

Sandra Rivera, Intel’s executive vice president and general manager of Data Center and AI Group, underscored the importance of this development. “Built for AI, our 5th Gen Intel Xeon processors provide greater performance to customers deploying AI capabilities across cloud, network, and edge use cases. We’re launching 5th Gen Intel Xeon on a proven foundation that will enable rapid adoption and scale at lower TCO,” she stated.

Key features of the 5th Gen Xeon processors include AI acceleration in every core, optimizing them for AI workloads and delivering up to 42% higher inference performance with minimal latency on large language models. This enables end-to-end AI processing without the need for additional accelerators, making AI tasks more efficient.

In terms of general compute performance, the processors offer an average gain of 21% compared to the previous generation. They also boast a 36% increase in performance per watt across various customer workloads, translating to significant efficiency improvements.

These processors support up to 64 cores per CPU, enhanced last-level cache, eight channels of DDR5, and higher memory transfer speeds. These improvements contribute to overall enhanced performance and bandwidth. Additionally, they ensure compatibility with CXL Type 3 workflows through leading cloud service providers.

Furthermore, the processors come equipped with security enhancements, featuring Intel Trust Domain Extensions (Intel TDX). This provides increased confidentiality and security at the VM level, ensuring enhanced privacy and control over data.

Looking ahead, the 5th Gen Xeon processors, which are pin-compatible with the previous generation, are set to be available in single- and dual-socket systems from leading OEMs such as Cisco, Dell, HPE, Lenovo, and others by the first quarter of 2024. Major cloud service providers will announce the availability of instances based on these processors throughout the year.

Intel remains committed to its roadmap, with plans to introduce Sierra Forest, emphasising E-core efficiency with up to 288 cores, in the first half of 2024. Following closely will be Granite Rapids, focusing on P-core performance.

The company has also announced the launch of AI PCs, to build and run AI on every PC. Gelsinger announced the company’s partnership with Dell, HP, Lenovo, Supermicro, and Microsoft for onboarding the chips on their devices.