
The latest 4th generation Sapphire Rapids-SP Xeon CPU with its multi-chiplet design that houses Compute & HBM2e tiles. (Image credits: CNET)
The latest Intel Sapphire Rapids-SP Xeon CPU with 56 Golden Cove cores has been unearthed Yuuki_ans. This chip is still a technical test, but comes with much higher power figures than those we have previously talked about.
Intel’s Sapphire Rapids-SP 56 Core CPU example works at up to 3.3 GHz in ES mode, pulling insane 420 W at MTP & 764 W peak limit
The ES2 CPUs have also leaked before and we have seen boost frequencies up to 3.3 GHz but that sample had a 270W TDP. The latest sample should be either Xeon Platinum 8476 or Platinum 8480 and rock a total of 56 Golden Cove cores with 112 threads. The CPU has 112 MB L2 and 105 MB L3 cache. The CPU was tested on an Intel C741 (Emmitsburg) platform with 1 TB DDR5 memory with CL40-39-38-76 timings.

Intel Sapphire Rapids-SP Xeon CPU with 56 cores has been seen in the latest leak of Yuuki_ans.
In terms of clock speeds, the Intel Sapphire Rapids-SP Xeon CPU ran at a base clock speed of 1.9 GHz and a boost clock speed of 3.3 GHz. The CPU has a maximum single-core boost clock of 3.7 GHz. The power figures are where things get crazy, as the processor running on the Socket E (LGA 4677) motherboard has a base TDP of 350W (PL1) and a maximum turbo power (PL2) rated at insane 420W. But that’s not all, the actual CPU (BIOS enforced) power limit is reported at 764W, which could be with the AVX-512 enabled.
Intel Sapphire Rapids-SP Xeon CPU Clock and Power Profiles (Image Credits: Yuuki_ans):
In terms of how well the chip worked, the Intel Sapphire Rapids-SP Xeon CPU can be seen running at 99C, although we do not know what kind of cooling was used to test this chip. Remember that the chip was not loaded. While early performance benchmarks look decent enough against AMD EPYC Milan, the CPU will be launched at a time when Genoa will be in its prime, and based on the power figures here, things are not looking good for Intel in the efficiency department. We know that the final tests will maintain the power limits, but they may offer better thermal and current control than the technical tests. But whether that’s enough to tackle AMD’s EPYC lineup or not will be seen.
Intel Xeon SP Families:
Family branding | Skylake-SP | Cascade Lake-SP / AP | Cooper Lake-SP | Ice Lake-SP | Sapphire Rapids | Emerald Rapids | Granite Rapids | Diamond Rapids |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Process Node | 14nm + | 14nm ++ | 14nm ++ | 10nm + | Intel 7 | Intel 7 | Intel 3 | Intel 3? |
Platform name | Intel Purley | Intel Purley | Intel Cedar Island | Intel Whitley | Intel Eagle Stream | Intel Eagle Stream | Intel Mountain Stream Intel Birch Stream |
Intel Mountain Stream Intel Birch Stream |
Core architecture | Skylake | Cascade Lake | Cascade Lake | Sunny Cove | Golden Cove | Raptor Cove | Redwood Cove? | Lion Cove? |
IPC enhancement (vs. previous generation) | 10% | 0% | 0% | 20% | 19% | 8%? | 35%? | 39%? |
MCP (Multi-Chip Package) SKUs | None | Yes | None | None | Yes | Yes | TBD (possibly yes) | TBD (possibly yes) |
Power outlet | LGA 3647 | LGA 3647 | LGA 4189 | LGA 4189 | LGA 4677 | LGA 4677 | TBD | TBD |
Max core number | Up to 28 | Up to 28 | Up to 28 | Up to 40 | Up to 56 | Up to 64? | Up to 120? | Up to 144? |
Maximum number of threads | Up to 56 | Up to 56 | Up to 56 | Up to 80 | Up to 112 | Up to 128? | Up to 240? | Up to 288? |
Max L3 Cache | 38.5 MB L3 | 38.5 MB L3 | 38.5 MB L3 | 60 MB L3 | 105 MB L3 | 120 MB L3? | 240 MB L3? | 288 MB L3? |
Vector motors | AVX-512 / FMA2 | AVX-512 / FMA2 | AVX-512 / FMA2 | AVX-512 / FMA2 | AVX-512 / FMA2 | AVX-512 / FMA2 | AVX-1024 / FMA3? | AVX-1024 / FMA3? |
Memory support | DDR4-2666 6-channel | DDR4-2933 6-channel | Up to 6-channel DDR4-3200 | Up to 8-channel DDR4-3200 | Up to 8-channel DDR5-4800 | Up to 8-channel DDR5-5600? | Up to 12-channel DDR5-6400? | Up to 12-channel DDR6-7200? |
PCIe Gen Support | PCIe 3.0 (48 lanes) | PCIe 3.0 (48 lanes) | PCIe 3.0 (48 lanes) | PCIe 4.0 (64 lanes) | PCIe 5.0 (80 lanes) | PCIe 5.0 (80 lanes) | PCIe 6.0 (128 lanes)? | PCIe 6.0 (128 lanes)? |
TDP range (PL1) | 140W-205W | 165W-205W | 150W-250W | 105-270W | Up to 350W | Up to 375W? | Up to 400W? | Up to 425W? |
3D Xpoint Optane DIMM | REACH | Apache Pass | Barlow Pass | Barlow Pass | Collar fit | Collar Pass? | Donahue Pass? | Donahue Pass? |
Competition | AMD EPYC Napoli 14nm | AMD EPYC Rom 7nm | AMD EPYC Rom 7nm | AMD EPYC Milan 7nm + | AMD EPYC Genova ~ 5nm | AMD Next-Gen EPYC (Post Genoa) | AMD Next-Gen EPYC (Post Genoa) | AMD Next-Gen EPYC (Post Genoa) |
Launch | 2017 | 2018 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023? | 2024? | 2025? |