Computex 2026 Hardware Intel Intros Diamond Rapids “Xeon 7” CPUs Built On 18A-P: Packing Up To 192 Cores, 16-Channel Memory, PCIe Gen6 Support, Launching In 2027 (June 1 11 AM Taiwan) Hassan Mujtaba • at EDT Add on Google Intel is officially unveiling its next-gen Diamond Rapids "Xeon 7" CPUs, which will launch in 2027 and feature an architecture built on the 18A-P process. Intel 18A-P Sees First Major Product Announcement With Next-Gen Diamond Rapids "Xeon 7" CPU Intel 18A has found its success with Panther Lake for Client and Clearwater Forest for data centers. Now, Intel is building its next-gen portfolio on its next major process technology called 18A-P. The first CPUs that will feature this technology are called Diamond Rapids, which will power the Xeon 7 data center chip family. Related Story Intel Arc G3, New Generation Xeon, And Nova Lake, Here’s What We Expect From Intel At Computex 2026Intel isn't revealing a whole lot of details, but they are confirming some of the major updates. First and most obvious is the 18A-P process technology, which enables a scalable SoC architecture with uniform memory latency. In the chip shot shown off by Intel, we can see four CPU chiplets and two huge I/O dies in the middle. This is a similar approach to AMD's EPYC Venice lineup, which will pack two large IO dies & lots of CPU chiplets, aka CCDs around them. The chip looks massive, and Intel is bringing a 50% increase in core count. These will all be based on the Panther Cove-X P-Core architecture, optimized for high performance per thread and IaaS. Do note that Diamond Rapids won't support SMT; that will be coming back with the successor, called Coral Rapids, by 2028. A 50% increase in core count over Granite Rapids, which scales up to 128 cores, means that we are looking at 192 P-cores in total. That's a nice uplift. AMD, on the other hand, is expected to offer up to 256 "Zen 6C" cores in its 6th Gen EPYC lineup, codenamed Venice. Previous details talked about a 256 P-Core and a 512-core E-Core variant, but it looks like the P-Cores will cap out at 192, which means that each of the four chiplets should pack 48 cores each. For Diamond Rapids, Intel will be introducing two brand-new tiles. First, we have CBB "Core Building Block," which will be the compute tile, and the major detail about this is that, unlike Granite Rapids, which added the IMC on the same tile, Diamond Rapids will be separating it. Early platform details highlight up to 650W TDPs on the LGA 9324 platform with multi-socket capabilities. The standard Diamond Rapids 16-channel and 512-core Diamond Rapids CPUs will be compatible on the same platform. This means that data centers won't require a different socket or platform to support Intel's higher-core-count SKUs. Talking about memory, the 16-channel design will double the system memory bandwidth through faster DIMMs, delivering faster performance in bandwidth-limited applications. The chips will also feature support for the PCIe Gen6 standard, offering extreme speed and scalability for IO-heavy use cases. After Diamond Rapids, Intel will introduce Coral Rapids, bringing back P-Cores with SMT support. The lineup is expected to launch in mid of 2028 with 8-channel platforms, but based on recent by Lip-Bu Tan, it is likely to be accelerated due to increased CPU demand for Agentic AI workloads. The Intel Diamond Rapids family also included an 8-channel variant initially, but Intel cancelled that to focus on the 16-channel option. Intel's Xeon CPU lineups are expected to see major traction, with a custom x86 SKU featuring NVLINK in the works and to be handed over to NVIDIA as the AI giant diversifies its CPU lineup into both x86 and Arm offerings. Intel will be competing with both NVIDIA's Vera and AMD's Venice families in the race to lead the data center CPU segment as Agentic AI rages on. Intel Xeon CPU Families (Preliminary): Family BrandingCoral RapidsDiamond RapidsClearwater ForestGranite RapidsSierra ForestEmerald RapidsSapphire RapidsIce Lake-SPCooper Lake-SPCascade Lake-SP/APSkylake-SP Process NodeIntel 14A?Intel 18A-PIntel 18AIntel 3Intel 3Intel 7Intel 710nm+14nm++14nm++14nm+ Platform NameTBDIntel Oak StreamIntel Birch StreamIntel Birch StreamIntel Mountain Stream Intel Birch StreamIntel Eagle StreamIntel Eagle StreamIntel WhitleyIntel Cedar IslandIntel PurleyIntel Purley Core ArchitectureTBDPanther Cove-XDarkmontRedwood CoveSierra GlenRaptor CoveGolden CoveSunny CoveCascade LakeCascade LakeSkylake MCP (Multi-Chip Package) SKUsYesYesYesYesYesYesYesNoNoYesNo SocketTBDLGA XXXX / 9324LGA 4710 / 7529LGA 4710 / 7529LGA 4710 / 7529LGA 4677LGA 4677LGA 4189LGA 4189LGA 3647LGA 3647 Max Core CountTBDUp To 192 P-CoresUp To 288Up To 128Up To 288Up To 64?Up To 56Up To 40Up To 28Up To 28Up To 28 Max Thread CountTBDUp To 192Up To 288Up To 256Up To 288Up To 128Up To 112Up To 80Up To 56Up To 56Up To 56 Max L3 CacheTBDTBDTBD480 MB L3108 MB L3320 MB L3105 MB L360 MB L338.5 MB L338.5 MB L338.5 MB L3 Memory SupportTBDUp To 16-Channel DDR5-9000+Up To 12-Channel DDR5-8000Up To 12-Channel DDR5-6400 MCR-8800Up To 12-Channel DDR5-6400Up To 8-Channel DDR5-5600Up To 8-Channel DDR5-4800Up To 8-Channel DDR4-3200Up To 6-Channel DDR4-3200DDR4-2933 6-ChannelDDR4-2666 6-Channel PCIe Gen SupportPCIe 6.0PCIe 6.0PCIe 5.0 (96 Lanes)PCIe 5.0 (136 Lanes)PCIe 5.0 (88Lanes)PCIe 5.0 (80 Lanes)PCIe 5.0 (80 lanes)PCIe 4.0 (64 Lanes)PCIe 3.0 (48 Lanes)PCIe 3.0 (48 Lanes)PCIe 3.0 (48 Lanes) TDP Range (PL1)TBDTBDUp To 500WUp To 500WUp To 350WUp To 350WUp To 350W105-270W150W-250W165W-205W140W-205W 3D Xpoint Optane DIMMTBDTBDN/ADonahue PassN/ACrow PassCrow PassBarlow PassBarlow PassApache PassN/A CompetitionTBDAMD EPYC VeniceAMD EPYC TurinAMD EPYC TurinAMD EPYC BergamoAMD EPYC Genoa ~5nmAMD EPYC Genoa ~5nmAMD EPYC Milan 7nm+AMD EPYC Rome 7nmAMD EPYC Rome 7nmAMD EPYC Naples 14nm Launch2028-20292027202620242024202320222021202020182017 About the : A Software Engineer by training and a PC enthusiast by passion, Hassan Mujtaba serves as 's for hardware section. With years of experience in the industry, he specializes in deep-dive technical analysis of next-generation CPU and GPU architectures, motherboards, and cooling solutions. His work involves not only breaking news on upcoming technologies but also extensive hands-on reviews and benchmarking. Follow on Google to get more of our news coverage in your feeds. Further Reading Intel Foundry’s Rio Rancho Facility To Become Its Crown Jewel In Production of Next-Gen Glass Substrates Intel Xeon 6+ “Clearwater Forest” Enters Mass Production on 18A With 288 Darkmont E-Cores, & 576 MB Cache Apple Has Handed Intel A ‘Once-In-A-Generation’ Foundry Lifeline, Claims Analyst, But 80% Of The Orders Hinge On A Single iPhone Chip Apple Taps Intel 18A-P For M7 Chip By 2027 & 14A For iPhone Chip By 2028, Claims Rumor Read all on Intel Intros Diamond Rapids “Xeon 7” CPUs Built On 18A-P: Packing Up To 192 Cores, 16-Channel Memory, PCIe Gen6 Support, Launching In 2027 (June 1 11 AM Taiwan)
