Unlocking the full potential of 5G requires transforming network infrastructure from core to edge.  Today, the company made a sweeping set of hardware and software announcements, including the launch of the new Intel Atom P5900, a 10nm system-on-a-chip (SoC) for wireless base stations, which is a critical early deployment target for 5G networks.

"As the industry makes the transition to 5G, we continue to see network infrastructure as the most significant opportunity, representing a $25 billion silicon opportunity by 2023,” said Navin Shenoy, executive vice president and general manager, Data Platforms Group at Intel. “By offering customers the fastest and most effective path to design, deliver and deploy 5G solutions across core, edge and access, we are poised to expand our leading silicon position in this growing market.”

Unmatched Portfolio for 5G Infrastructure

As the promise of 5G takes hold, customers are demanding the increased performance and flexibility they need to rapidly deliver services with lower latency where they are needed most. In this light, Intel announced a number of firsts today, including:

• Launching the Intel Atom P5900 platform, the first Intel architecture-based 10nm SoC for wireless base stations: With the launch of the Intel Atom P5900, the company is extending Intel architecture from the core to access and all the way to the farthest edge of the network. Intel now expects to be the leading silicon provider in base stations by 2021, a year earlier than first predicted. As a highly integrated 10nm SoC, the Intel Atom P5900 is designed to meet critical 5G network needs, including high bandwidth and low latency to deliver what’s required for 5G base stations today and in the future. The product augments Intel’s rich silicon portfolio for network environments and introduces Intel silicon as the foundation for the wireless base stations market, with 6 million 5G base stations forecasted through 2024. Intel is working with leading providers to deliver this product as part of their future-differentiated solutions in market.
• New 2nd Gen Intel Xeon Scalable processors: As the foundation for data platform infrastructure with over 30 million units sold, Intel Xeon Scalable processors have led the transformation of the network. This year, 50% of core network deployments are transforming to virtualized networks, with the expectation to grow beyond 80% by 2024i, fueled by 5G. The new 2nd Gen Intel Xeon Scalable processors launched today deliver an average of 36% more performance and an average of 42% more performance per dollarii than the prior generation Intel® Xeon® Gold and increased value for customers across their cloud, network and edge needs. In addition, Intel Xeon Scalable helps protect the integrity of the data and the platform with hardware-enhanced security and built-in encryption accelerators. In conjunction, Intel introduced 18 updated Select Solutions supporting these new processors across customer-prioritized workloads.
• Introducing Diamond Mesa, Intel’s first next-generation structured ASIC for 5G network acceleration: Diamond Mesa (codename) is designed to complement Intel’s unmatched portfolio of processors and FPGAs delivering the high performance and low latency required for 5G networks. Structured ASICs like Diamond Mesa provide a minimum-risk optimization path for workloads that do not require the full programmability of FPGAs, targeting double the performance efficiency versus the prior generation, and uniquely position Intel as the only provider delivering a full silicon platform foundation for network infrastructure. Diamond Mesa is open to early access customers.
• Introducing the Intel Ethernet 700 Series Network Adapter with Hardware-Enhanced Precision Time Protocol, the first 5G network-optimized Ethernet NIC: The Ethernet 700 series (codenamed “Edgewater Channel”) is Intel’s first 5G-optimized network adapter, offering GPS-based cross-network service synchronization with Hardware-Enhanced Precision Time Protocol (PTP). Latency requirements across 5G network implementations have challenged existing Ethernet technology, especially in edge servers. Maintaining accurate time synchronization across the network at a cost-effective price point, however, is one avenue to help address application latency. The Ethernet 700 series adapter increases the timing precision required for 5G networks through a combination of hardware and software enhancements. Edgewater Channel is sampling now and will enter production in Q2‘20.

2nd Gen Intel Xeon Scalable processors

The new 2nd Gen Intel Xeon Gold processors deliver an average of 1.36-times higher performance1 and 1.42-times better performance-per-dollar compared with the 1st Gen Intel Xeon Gold processors.

To deliver this level of performance and value, Intel has optimized these new server processors in several areas, including adding more cores, increasing cache sizes or by boosting processor frequency. The new processors — labeled with an “R,” “T” or “U” suffix — are designed for dual- and single-socket mainstream and entry-level server systems. The addition of more cores and increased cache in these processors are targeted at workloads where capacity-per-server is critical, such as virtualized clouds, hyper-converged infrastructure (HCI) and network function virtualization (NFV).

Intel also announced today two new processors (Intel Xeon Gold 6256 and 6250) that feature the industry’s highest server processor frequency, delivering a base and turbo frequency up to 3.9 GHz and 4.5 GHz, respectively. These high-frequency processors are optimized for workloads that scale with clock frequency, such as financial trading, simulation and modeling, high-performance computing, and databases.

The new 2nd Gen Intel Xeon Scalable processors target three broad customer use cases:

• Industry-leading frequencies for high-performance usages: New Intel Xeon Gold 6200 processors deliver up to 4.5 GHz processor frequency with Intel Turbo Boost Technology and up to 33% more processor cache, offering customers breakthrough performance for frequency-fueled workloads.
• Enhanced performance for mainstream usages: New Intel Xeon Gold 6200R and 5200R processors deliver built-in value through a combination of higher base and Intel Turbo Boost Technology frequencies, in addition to increased processor cache.
• Increased value and capability for entry-level, edge, networking and IoT usages: New Intel Xeon Gold 6200U, Silver 4200R, Sliver 4210T and Bronze 3200R processors deliver increased value for single-socket entry-level servers, as well as edge, networking and internet of things (IoT) usages.