The next-gen Intel Xeon Scalable processor family supports new instructions for AI workloads

Intel has announced its new Intel Xeon Scalable processor family that support bfloat16. This floating-point format is a new data type for the acceleration of AI workloads.

The new family of processors, formerly named Cooper Lake, will offer up to 56 cores per socket and “built-in AI training acceleration in standard socketed Intel Xeon Scalable processor offerings with availability starting in the first half of 2020.”

The new processors are socket compatible with Ice Lake CPUs, and the new chips are unlike the Cascade Lake Intel Xeon Platinum 9200 processors that are only available in BGA package. According to Intel, Cascade Lake will be the “first x86 processor to deliver built-in AI training acceleration through new bfloat16 support added to Intel Deep Learning Boost (Intel DL Boost).”

The new processor family will continue to “will leverage the capabilities built into the Intel Xeon Platinum 9200 series”, that includes better DDR4 RAM support and hardware-enhanced security features, in particular, Intel Security Libraries for Data Centers (Intel SecL-DC). The improved processors are intended for HPC, advanced AI and data analytics market segments.

(Source: Intel)

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