Intel aims at AMD Threadripper, launches new Granite Rapids-WS architecture core data rival

Because of the latest public base test list leak, Intel is preparing to launch a new processor family called Granite Rapids-WS. This series is designed for high-desktop computers and workstation markets, with the goal of directly competing with AMD's Ryzen 9000WX series product line using Zen 5 architecture.

According to Tom’s Hardware's report, this Granite Rapid-WS processing device has 86 cores and 172 executions, and can operate up to 4.8GHz. Because it uses the Granite Rapids architecture, this chip is likely to be a fork of a high-temporary version that is closely linked to the Xeon 6787P processor in the Intel server-level product line. Because the Xeon 6787P also has 86 cores and uses two compute tiles, but its maximum acceleration time is only 3.8GHz. This implies that Granite Rapids-WS, as the workstation version, will focus on providing higher single-core and overall acceleration performance.

In terms of core quantity, Intel's 86 core specification has approached AMD's existing Threadripper flagship product, and AMD's current flagship product 9995WX has 96 Zen 5 cores. It is worth noting that the 86-core SKU may not be the flagship product of the Granite Rapids workstation series. Because the Granite Rapids architecture itself has extremely high scalability, it can be expanded to up to 128 cores. However, to reach 128 cores, Intel had to use three computing chips. In comparison, using only two computing chips to achieve 86 core Granite Rapid SKUs has the potential to reduce production costs for Intel. As for whether Intel will launch flagship-grade products, it remains to be seen.

Granite Rapids is Intel's latest generation of server architecture and the most competitive generation to date. The architecture achieved the first price of core volume with AMD EYPC processors when it launched the Xeon 6900P series at the end of 2024, which has never been seen since 2017. Similar to Arrow Lake-S, Granite Rapids uses a small chip modular architecture that integrates multiple I/O and computing chips to achieve a core number that has been difficult to touch in the past.

Travels about the Granite Rapids workstation version have been circulating for months. Previous news pointed out that these new workstation processors will support up to 128 PCIe 5.0 channels, with eight-channel DDR5 memory support, and will support Intel's current W890 chipset. Therefore, for Intel, Granite Rapids-WS has important strategic implications.

Intel In the past two generations of products, Intel has been lacking a product line that can compete with the AMD Threadripper WX series, which makes the Granite Rapids-WS's indicator meaning significant. In comparison, AMD has launched 64 core products since the Threadripper 3000 series, and has equipped 96 core configurations since the Threadripper 7000WX series. The specifications in this aspect are almost beyond Intel's performance. Therefore, with the launch of Granite Rapids-WS, Intel has gained the first opportunity in many years to approach or surpass AMD in core numbers in the workstation field, regaining its competitive attitude with AMD EPYC in the server market.