Intel Sapphire Rapids-AP, Golden Cove’s next generation HEDT CPU lineup, rumored to launch by end of 2022

It’s been a while since we’ve heard about Intel’s next-generation HEDT range and it looks like the Sapphire Rapids-AP CPU family is slated to launch later this year.

Next-generation Intel Sapphire Rapids-AP HEDT CPU lineup with Golden Cove Cores launching later this year

The HEDT CPU sector hasn’t seen much action over the past few years. Intel’s 10th generation Core-X lineup launched in 2019 and AMD’s last Threadripper family launched in early 2020. There was some action in the AMD workstation space with Threadripper ‘WX’ parts But those haven’t gotten any attention since the Zen 2 parts launched in early 2021. That may change later this year as both AMD and Intel are expected to offer next-generation HEDT kits with Golden Cove and Zen 3.

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The next generation HEDT-X platform may be SapphireRapids-AP by the end of this year.

– 结 城 安 穗 – YuuKi_AnS🇨🇳 (yuuki_ans) February 13, 2022

In his latest series of tweets regarding the recently leaked Intel Sapphire Rapids-SP Xeon benchmarks, YuuKi_AnS He noted that the blue team is preparing a next-generation HEDT CPU lineup codenamed “Sapphire Rapids-AP”. This is quite interesting as the “AP” moniker was previously used for Cascade Lake-AP main parts that feature an MCM solution. The Sapphire Rapids-SP lineup already features an MCM layout with four tiles with up to 15 cores (14 cores enabled) each. So, in a sense, Sapphire Rapids-SP could also be considered “AP” variants but it looks like Intel may have decided to market its HEDT range as “AP” instead of “X”. There are not enough details at the moment, but the lineup is said to be targeting the high-end desktop segment and will be launched in late 2022.

former Rumors They noted that while the HEDT lineup will target the desktop CPU segment, it will primarily serve the workstation segment.

Intel Sapphire Rapids – Xeon Workstation Platform

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Intel also plans to further segment the Sapphire Rapids HEDT platform into two categories, a workstation and a main workstation platform. The standard workstation platform will succeed the Ice Lake-W Xeon CPUs launched in 2020. It will feature up to 56 Golden Cove cores and up to 12 cores that will grow over 4GHz. It will be a variety with plenty of SKUs with TDPs of up to 350W for the flagship models. There are also several chip accelerators found in Sapphire Rapids HEDT CPUs, but it is not known whether these accelerators will work or be disabled in the final models. As for pricing, it is expected to range between $3,000 and $5,000 which puts it in the very premium performance category.

In the SKU anatomy posted below, there are at least four SKUs and three different platform configurations starting with the Sapphire Rapids-SP XCC templates aimed at the server market. These parts will be fully leveraged and will not be part of the Xeon Workstation HEDT family. Then there are the Sapphire Rapids-112L XCC templates that will provide up to 112 PCIe Gen 5.0 tracks and will be displayed within the Workstation platform. This follows a Sapphire Rapids-SP MCC configuration that will provide a medium core count but with 8-channel memory support while the entry-level SPR-MSWS main workstation platform will feature the same MCC template but with 4-channel DDR5 memory support.

Intel will offer at least four different SKU configurations in its Sapphire Rapids Xeon Workstation’s HEDT lineup. (Image credits: MLID) The Fishhawk Falls platform will become a powerful next-generation ecosystem consisting of 8 channels of DDR5-4400 (1DPC) / DDR5-4800 (2DPC) and up to 112 PCIe Gen 5.0 lanes. Motherboards look more like workstation-class products rather than server boards and will feature a single socket.

Intel Sapphire Rapids – Xeon main workstation platform

The second platform is designed to be a more widespread workstation offering and will replace Cascade Lake-X and Xeon-W Skylake-X (Xeon W-3175X) chips. The core counts of Sapphire Rapids CPUs within this cluster are expected to be around 28-36 cores (Golden Cove architecture) and will vibrate at much higher speeds of 4.5 – 5.0 GHz. CPUs will end up with around 300W TDPs, but the higher model can end up around 400W depending on the final clock configuration.

Intel Sapphire Rapids HEDT Xeon Workstation CPUs Initial Specifications. (Image credits: MLID)

For the platform, there is 8-channel (non-ECC) and 4-channel (EEC) DDR5 support and PCIe Gen 5.0 lanes will drop to 64. Pricing will be pretty similar to previous Core-X CPUs so we can expect around 500 Dollars – 3000 USD for these chips. Previous rumors suggested that the Fishhawk HEDT family would be centered around the W790/C790 PCH but since there are at least two platforms in operation, there could be a much higher PCH volume. As for the launch, it was Intel rumor to launch the next generation HEDT CPU family in the third quarter of 2022, around the same time as the 13th generation Raptor Lake family of CPUs.

AMD on the other hand seems to have Delayed or even canceled their Threadripper lineup based on the Chagall / Chagall 3D design. Intel is following AMD’s path in promoting its HEDT platform to workstation users under the Xeon brand. AMD has also done the same with the Threadripper Pro family. AMD will have the option to reschedule its Zen 3 Threadripper CPUs against Intel’s Xeon workstation parts in mid-2022 or delay the entire family in favor of next-generation Zen 4 parts. AMD has so far been the undisputed king of the HEDT and Workstation CPU with its Threadripper lineup but with Sapphire Rapids, Intel really has a chance to catch up and even reclaim some HEDT/work market share from them. This will be something we have to wait and see.

Intel HEDT processor families: