Intel Sapphire Rapids Xeon CPU spotted: MCM design with 80 cores

Intel's next-gen Sapphire Rapids Xeon CPU has been spotted with an MCM (multi-chip module) design packing an insane 80 cores in a new shot of an engineering sample of the CPU.

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The new photo turned up on Bilibili with the 4th Gen Sapphire Rapids Xeon CPU featuring an MCM design with 5x4 configuration -- which works out that each die has up to 80 cores, but we probably won't see the full 80-core silicon ever being released due to the mesh layout.

Wccftech reports that theoretically, the new Intel Sapphire Rapids-SP Xeon CPUs "could feature" a maximum of 72 cores and 144 threads, but we could see them tap out at 56 cores and 112 threads. Another leak pointed to the fact of an engineering sample with 60 cores (15 cores per die, with a 5x3 layout) while the CPU itself had just 56 cores and 112 threads enabled (14 cores per die).

• Read more: Intel's new Sapphire Rapids CPU: PCIe 5.0 tech, 64GB of HBM2e memory
• Read more: Intel LGA4677-X socket teased, next-gen Sapphire Rapids CPU spotted

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Intel's new Sapphire Rapids Xeon CPU will come in the same rectangle shape as previous-gen Xeon CPUs, with up to 64GB HBM2e memory (4 x 16GB stacks). Intel is expected to use DDR5 memory and PCIe 5.0 technologies, with an LGA4677 socket and forthcoming Sapphire Rapids Xeon CPUs using a gold-plated IHS and soldered design with liquid-metal TIM.

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AMD will be continuing to open up can of Whoop Ass after can of Whoop Ass, with AMD's next-gen Genoa chips offering up to 96 cores while Intel lags behind with just 56 cores. We might see Intel bumping things up, but it seems over the coming years AMD will have the upper hand when it comes to core count on CPUs.

Intel's next-gen Sapphire Rapids Xeon Scalable family of CPUs will launch in 2022.