At MWC 2024, Intel has announced its roadmap for upcoming Xeon processors, showcasing the next-generation offerings set to revolutionize the industry. Among the highlights of the event, Intel confirmed that Granite Rapids-D will debut in 2025, succeeding the Ice Lake-D processors.

Furthermore, Intel provided insights into the 6th Gen Xeon Family, codenamed Sierra Forest, poised to launch later this year. The Sierra Forest platform is anticipated to feature up to 288 cores, tailored for vRAN network operators seeking to optimize performance for 5G workloads.

Intel's focus on enhancing operational efficiency and reducing ownership costs in next-gen applications is evident in the design of Sierra Forest. With a combination of performance (P) and efficiency (E) cores, Sierra Forest's architecture aims to deliver improved power efficiency and scalability to cater to the demands of complex computing environments.

Set for the 2nd half of 2024, Sierra Forest is expected to debut with a full E-core design, maximizing efficiency in scale-out and cloud-native environments. The platform utilizes CPU chiplets on the Intel 3 process and I/O chiplets on the Intel 7 node, enabling a scalable architecture for increased core counts.

Intel projects Sierra Forest to enhance power efficiency with up to 288 E-cores per socket, offering a significant performance boost compared to previous platforms. Additionally, Intel promises savings in Infrastructure Power Management, with the introduction of the Infrastructure Power Manager (IPM) application for 5G cores.

Moreover, Intel is driving innovation with its vRAM Boost technology integrated within Xeon Processors, aiming to reduce power consumption and increase network capacity. The company's commitment to 'AI Everywhere' is underscored by the launch of the vRAM AI Developer Kit, enabling partners to optimize vRAM applications and adapt to evolving network scenarios.

Looking ahead, Intel's Granite Rapids-D is positioned to strengthen the company's presence in Edge solutions and vRAN workloads in 2025. Building on the success of Ice Lake-D, Granite Rapids-D is expected to leverage performance cores for enhanced vRAN capabilities and cost-effectiveness.

While specific release dates for Granite Rapids-D are yet to be disclosed, Intel is currently in the sampling phase with partners to ensure a market-ready platform upon launch. Intel's strides in Xeon processor development signal a new era of innovation and efficiency in the semiconductor industry.