Yesterday, Intel launched eleven SKUs of Xeon processors that are based on Broadwell-EX. While I don't follow this product segment too closely, it's a bit surprising that Intel launched them so close to consumer-level Broadwell-E. Maybe I shouldn't be surprised, though.
These processors scale from four cores up to twenty-four of them, with HyperThreading. They are also available in cache sizes from 20MB up to 60MB. With Intel's Xeon naming scheme, the leading number immediately after the E7 in the product name denotes the number of CPUs that can be installed in a multi-socket system. The E7-8XXX line can be run in an eight-socket motherboard, while the E7-4XXX models are limited to four sockets per system. TDPs range between 115W and 165W, which is pretty high, but to be expected for a giant chip that runs at a fairly high frequency.
Intel Xeon E7 v4 launched on June 6th with listed prices between $1223 to $7174 per CPU.
Intel’s marketing is pushing
Intel’s marketing is pushing hard comparing these SKUs against the Power8s, but what about the Power9s that Google will be using that will come with NVLink 2.0 and CAPI 2.0. There will also be those AMD 16 and 32 Zen cores HPC/Server APUs on an interposer with HBM2 and a big fat Vega die right on the interposer module! There will not be any competition for CPU to GPU, and HBM2, raw effective bandwidth from any PCI/NVLink/CAPI interconnect compared to what those AMD HPC/Server/workstation APU SKUs will provide with their extra wide parallel connection fabrics CPU to GPU, and all the on interposer hosted processors(CPU, GPU, FPGAs on the HBM stacks, others) to HBM2 memory.
So Intel’s Mad Dash for High Margin cash will get brought quickly down to earth over the next few years, and Intel will not be able to contra revenue its way out of having to compete, how did that mobile market contra revenue work out for Intel in the mobile market.
You’re a big fat Vega die
You’re a big fat Vega die right on the interposer module.
Be nice, folks!
Be nice, folks!