Intel recently announced the launch of its new Xeon 600 series workstation processors, codenamed "Granite Rapids-W," designed for high-end workstation needs. Compared to its predecessor, this update significantly increases the number of cores, offering up to 86 performance cores (P-Cores), and for the first time introduces MRDIMM memory technology and CXL 2.0 technology support to a workstation platform, primarily targeting heavy computing applications such as AI development, data science, media entertainment, and engineering simulation.
All-P-Core design, significantly increasing the number of cores.
Unlike the hybrid architecture used in the consumer Core Ultra series, the Xeon 600 series workstation processors use an all-P-Core design, which aims to provide stable performance under sustained high-load computing.
The flagship Xeon 698X features up to 86 cores, with a maximum Turbo clock speed of 4.8 GHz (3.0 GHz for all-core Turbo). Compared to its predecessor, the flagship Xeon w9-3595X, Intel's official data shows that the Xeon 698X offers a 61% improvement in multi-threaded performance (MT) and a 9% improvement in single-threaded performance (ST).
New platform specifications: W890 chipset and MRDIMM memory
To support such massive computing power, Intel simultaneously launched the W890 chipset and LGA 4710-2 socket, and a major highlight of the new platform is the significant improvement in memory bandwidth.
The Xeon 600 series supports 8-channel DDR5 memory with a maximum capacity of 4TB. More importantly, Intel's introduction of the MRDIMM (Multiplexed Rank DIMM) memory specification can boost data transfer rates to 8000 MT/s, which will bring significant advantages to memory bandwidth-sensitive applications (such as fluid dynamics simulation CFD or large AI model training).
In terms of expandability, the processor itself provides up to 128 PCIe 5.0 lanes, meaning that the workstation can run up to four high-end graphics cards (such as NVIDIA RTX 6000 Ada or Blackwell generation professional graphics cards) at full speed, as well as multiple high-speed SSDs, which is quite important for AI inference and training scenarios that require multi-GPU collaboration.
Optimization for AI development and professional computing
Intel emphasizes that the Xeon 600 is a workstation processor "designed for AI developers," which, through its built-in Intel AMX (Advanced Matrix Extensions) accelerator, supports Int8, Bfloat16, and the new FP16 data types, significantly enhancing the CPU's AI inference capabilities.
According to test data provided by Intel, the Xeon 698X delivers a 16% performance improvement over its predecessor in AI inference tests, and a 24% improvement in linear algebra operations (such as NumPy/SciPy). Furthermore, in tests using the professional rendering software Blender, the performance improvement is even greater, reaching 74%.
Product Line and Launch Information: Targeting Different Levels of Need
Intel has divided its product line into "high-end workstations" (Xeon 600) and "mainstream/entry-level workstations" (Core Ultra 200 series + W880 chipset).
The Xeon 600 series offers multiple models, with suggested retail prices starting at $499 for the entry-level Xeon 634 (12 cores) and going up to $7699 for the top-of-the-line Xeon 698X (86 cores).
It is worth noting that processors with an "X" at the end of their model names (such as 698X, 696X, 678X, etc.) all support overclocking. Intel has even partnered with ASUS and OCCT stress test software to allow professional users and system integrators to fine-tune the voltage and frequency for specific workloads in order to extract the maximum performance.
A list of main model specifications:
• Xeon 698X:86 cores / 350W TDP / Suggested retail price: $7699
• Xeon 696X:64 cores / 350W TDP / Suggested retail price: $5599
• Xeon 678X:48 cores / 300W TDP / Suggested retail price: $3749
• Xeon 658X:24 cores / 250W TDP / Suggested retail price: $1699
• Xeon 634:12 cores / 150W TDP / Suggested retail price: $499
The motherboards are expected to be launched by partners such as ASUS, Gigabyte, ASRock, and Supermicro, and workstation systems equipped with Xeon 600 series processors are expected to begin shipping in late March 2026.
Analysis of viewpoints
As the demand for AI model training and fine-tuning shifts from the cloud to the edge and within enterprises, workstations are playing an increasingly crucial role. Intel's Xeon 600 series processors, with their high core count and high-bandwidth MRDIMM memory design, are clearly aimed at competing with AMD's Threadripper product line while consolidating their existing advantages in enterprise-grade stability (vPro) and software ecosystems (OneAPI, OpenVINO). For professional users who need to perform LLM calculations or complex simulations locally, this is a worthwhile upgrade option.
