Intel has announced its latest Xeon 6 series processors, specifically designed to maximize the performance of GPU-centric artificial intelligence systems. Among the new offerings is the Xeon 6776P, which is already integrated into NVIDIA’s DGX B300 AI computing platform.
These new Xeon 6 processors utilize Performance-cores (P-cores) and incorporate Intel’s Priority Core Turbo (PCT) and Speed Select Technology – Turbo Frequency (SST-TF). These technologies dynamically manage core frequencies, boosting the speed of high-priority cores to ensure optimal data delivery to the powerful NVIDIA GPUs during demanding AI tasks. Lower-priority cores operate at base frequencies, leading to efficient resource allocation.
Karin Eibschitz-Segal, Intel’s Corporate Vice President and interim head of the Data Center Group, emphasized that Xeon 6 delivers “unrivaled performance” and strengthens their collaboration with NVIDIA in the AI domain.
Key benefits of the new Xeon 6 processors for AI workloads include:
- Up to 128 P-cores per processor: This high core count improves workload balancing for intensive AI computations.
- 30% Faster Memory Performance: Compared to AMD EPYC configurations, Xeon 6 offers significantly faster memory speeds (5200 MT/s RDIMM vs. 4000 MT/s RDIMM in a 2DPC setup), crucial for feeding data to GPUs efficiently.
- 20% Increased PCIe Lanes: The increased number of PCIe channels enhances data transfer speeds between the CPU and peripherals like GPUs and high-speed storage, reducing bottlenecks in AI workflows.
- Intel Advanced Matrix Extensions (AMX): These hardware enhancements accelerate matrix calculations, which are fundamental to many AI algorithms and enable efficient processing of FP16 data.
Intel asserts that the Xeon 6 series provides the necessary performance and energy efficiency for modern data centers handling the ever-increasing volumes of AI data, supporting a wide array of applications from networking to big data analytics. The integration of the Xeon 6776P into NVIDIA’s DGX B300 highlights the close collaboration between the two tech giants in delivering powerful AI solutions.