Intel on Thursday said it would release a successor to its eight-core Nehalem-EX chips next year with more cores and faster speeds as it tries to push the limits of server performance.
The new chips, code-named Westmere-EX, will be targeted at servers with four sockets and higher, said Stephen Smith, vice president and director of PC client operations and enabling at Intel, during a Webcast speech.
The Nehalem-EX processors, available under the Xeon 7500 and 6500 brands, were introduced in March for high-end servers that require high uptime. Intel has called Nehalem-EX processors its fastest to date, and the chips include error correction and reliability, availability and serviceability (RAS) features.
However, the Nehalem-EX chips are manufactured using the older 45-nanometer process while Westmere-EX chips will be manufactured using the more advanced 32-nanometer process.
Intel has packed faster clock speeds and more cores on Westmere chips while consuming the same amount of power as chips made using the 45-nm process, Smith said.
Increasing chip core counts is a way for Intel to improve performance while trying to reduce the power drawn by the processor. Intel in March released Westmere-EP server chips made using the 32-nm process for single- and two-socket servers. The chips, available with up to six cores under the brand name Xeon 5600, include up to 50 percent more cores and boast 60 percent better performance than its predecessors, according to Intel.
Smith declined to reveal the clock speed and number of cores on the Westmere-EX chips. The company hasn’t nailed down the quarter next year in which Westmere-EX chips will be released. Smith characterized the release as a “midcycle refresh,” and said it would offer socket-compatibility to protect the investment of server makers offering Nehalem-EX processors in systems.
Westmere-EX also sets the bar higher in the ongoing core battle between Intel and its rival Advanced Micro Devices.
The server processor, code-named Interlagos, will be built on a new micro-architecture called Bulldozer.