In one of the blogs on the Chinese site Bilibili, several detailed photos of an engineering sample of a motherboard with a new generation Intel LGA 7529 connector appeared. Specifications and photos related to this platform have appeared in the past, but the latest leak offers a lot of new information. User Bilibili has placed a Sapphire Rapids Xeon processor in a new socket, and it provides an interesting angle showing the large physical footprint that the 5th generation platform takes up on the board.
The Sapphire Rapid LGA 4677 (Socket E) is already big at 61mm x 82mm, but the upcoming Mountain Stream (LGA 7529) platform is huge in comparison. According to preliminary estimates, its approximate dimensions, including the holding arm, are 66 × 92.5 mm. The fifth generation platform is designed to work with Intel Granite Rapids and Sierra Forest processors. This scalable microarchitecture Xeon processor family is expected to launch in 2024.
Based on an analysis of a single-socket motherboard engineering sample, an insider suggested that this new Xeon platform will offer support for 86 and 132 P-Core and 334 and 512 E-Core processors, as well as HBM memory. The photographed board is marked “ES” in several places, and the socket stamp indicates that the entire system is a prototype.
The source’s conclusions are consistent with past information that pointed to Intel’s plans for future Granite Rapids and Sierra Forest processors. Thus, the Xeon family is divided into two types of processors: one designed for high performance, fully equipped with P-cores, and the other for efficiency, equipped with only E-cores. Industry analysts suggest that Intel will release new products for the high-performance server and cloud computing sector in 2024.
