Intel Set to Release Two 10-core Westmere-EX Processors in Q2 2011

Ever since the introduction of the first dual-core processor a few years ago, CPU manufacturers have started developing new architectures that would allow them to pack together as many cores as possible inside one chip, Intel's material sheet declaration database revealing that the company plans to release two new Xeon 10-core CPUs.

Dubbed the Xeon E7-4830 and the Xeon E7-4870, both are based on the company's upcoming Westmere-EX architecture and should be launched sometime in the second quarter of 2011, if Intel sticks to its previous release schedule.

Details about clock speeds and TDP of the two Xeon E7 SKUs are not available at this time, but, thanks to Intel's Hot Chips 2010 presentation, we do have quite a bit of info regarding this architecture.

Based on the Nehalem core, that was introduced by Intel in late 2008, Westmere-EX chips are built using the 32nm manufacturing node and are compatible with the LGA 1567 socket (the Boxboro-EX platform).

Just as its desktop counterparts, the processor supports Intel's Hyper-Threading technology, enabling the operating system to use up to 20-threads simultaneously in highly parallel applications such as graphics rendering and video encoding.

However, unlike the desktop version of the architecture, Westemere-EX packs 4 Quick Path Interconnect (QPI) system links and can be used in 2, 4 and 8 socket configurations as well as in larger machines using a so-called node controller.

In addition, the two integrated memory controllers can provide up to eight DDR3 memory channels.

A yet unknown amount of L3 cache is also available, Intel dividing it into 10 equal slices that can also be shared among all cores.

As PCMasters reports, the Xeon E7-4830 and Xeon E7-4870 will adopt a new naming scheme, quite similar to that used by Intel in the desktop space, the processors carrying the E3, E5 or E7 prefix, depending on their feature list and power.

According to the same website, the E5 line will most probably be based on the Sandy Bridge E architecture that is slated to come in Q4 of this year.