Intel Launches First 10nm 3rd Gen Xeon Scalable Processors For Data Centers

MojoKid writes: Intel just officially launched its first server products built on its advanced 10nm manufacturing process node, the 3rd Gen Xeon Scalable family of processors. 3rd Gen Xeon Scalable processors are based on the 10nm Ice Lake-SP microarchitecture, which incorporates a number of new features and enhancements. Core counts have been significantly increased with this generation, and now offer up to 40 cores / 80 threads per socket versus 28 cores / 56 threads in Intel's previous-gen offerings. The 3rd Gen Intel Xeon Scalable processor platform also supports up to 8 channels of DDR4-3200 memory, up to 6 terabytes of total memory, and up to 64 lanes of PCIe Gen4 connectivity per socket, for more bandwidth, higher capacity, and copious IO.

New AI, security and cryptographic capabilities arrive with the platform as well. Across Cloud, HPC, 5G, IoT, and AI workloads, new 3rd Gen Xeon Scalable processors are claimed to offer significant uplifts across the board versus their previous-gen counterparts. And versus rival AMD's EPYC platform, Intel is also claiming many victories, specifically when AVX-512, new crypto instructions, or DL Boost are added to the equation. Core counts in the line-up range from 8 — 40 cores per processor and TDPs vary depending on the maximum base and boost frequencies and core count / configuration (up to a 270W TDP). Intel is currently shipping 3rd Gen Xeon Scalable CPUs to key customers now, with over 200K chips in Q1 this year and a steady ramp-up to follow.

How much is SQL going to cost now?

[known_coward_69]

Since MS changed the pricing to per core, how much is it going to run you now? Same with all the other software that is sold per core.

or are you expected to virtualize every piece of software and not run anything with power to spare for peak usage?

Re:

[fahrbot-bot]

Since MS changed the pricing to per core, how much is it going to run you now? Same with all the other software that is sold per core. ... or are you expected to virtualize every piece of software and not run anything with power to spare for peak usage?

Depends. Will the HW using these support en/disabling cores dynamically and, if so, will they be sold like that.

Re: How much is SQL going to cost now?

[NFN_NLN]

> or are you expected to virtualize every piece of software

You're only supposed to run SQL Server as a SaaS offering out of Azure, duh. They will relax the licensing rules for themselves of course.

cloud SQL is not the same as server and apps need

[Joe_Dragon]

cloud SQL is not the same as server and apps need full DB control of there own DB.

Re:

[nojayuk]

The new-architecture Xeon cores have, reportedly, a significant IPC uplift compared to older-gen Xeons. That should mean more processing power per core so more useful work done for the same licencing fee cost per core.

Until they get deployed into data centres and face real-world loads and then get compared to historical data we won't know for sure.

Re:

[BAReFO0t]

Boy am I happy I do not live in this insane world where software companies just make up arbitrary prices, completely unrelated to the actual costs of doing business, let alone of any actual work done . . .

(Of which most is annoying people with advertisement and programming things that nobody wants or needs and only exists to justify further income. Like adding back the Start menu that you previously paid for them to take away. Or Cortana and "telemetry" (spying). ... I'm sure there are server-related things

Re:How much is SQL going to cost now?

[jabuzz]

Per core payment . . . lol . . . What a sad world some people live in.

SAS at least used to run a benchmark on your system and then your license fee depends on how fast things go.

Also you can game these sorts of licensing if you know what you are doing, and get functional systems at stupidly low prices. I keep a dual core Dell R300 running because it is more than fast enough and it is just 100 PVU for Spectrum Protect(TSM) to backup my Spectrum Scale (GPFS) 1PB file system. Anything newer would be 280PVU which is an extra $1000 in initial licensing.

Re:

[Anonymous Coward]

...Per core payment . . . lol . . . What a sad world some people live in.

MSC Nastran used to charge for every job execution against their software... Put that in your pipe and smoke it...

must pay for all cores in the cluster per MS rules

[Joe_Dragon]

must pay for all cores in the cluster per MS rules that can run that VM.

Re:

[bloodhawk]

ahhh no, that is only if you are using per server based licensing. if you are running as a VM using core based you only pay for the cores utiised (minimum of 4). depending on number of SQL servers and cores you are using in the cluster you choos the most appropriate license. If you have a shit ton of little SQL servers then you are better off with the per server licensing.

windows server part needs all cores and server is

[Joe_Dragon]

windows server part needs all cores and server is needed to get MS SQL.

https://www.altaro.com/hyper-v... [altaro.com]

The number of Licenses required equals the number of Physical Cores on the Licensed Server, subject to a minimum of 8 Licenses per Physical Processor and a minimum of 16 Licenses per Server.

Every core in a system must have enough licenses to independently run every Windows Server instance hosted by the physical machine

Every CPU in a physical system must have enough licenses for at least 8 cores, even if i

Re:

[bloodhawk]

That is for the server license not for SQL, you are confusing the two, the licenses are independent of each other. You can license the hosts and use unlimited Virtual servers with Datacentre edition. this way VM's can move freely between hosts and the SQL license floats with it.

Re:

[laktech]

then don't agree to those terms.

Re:

[Canberra1]

Apply pressure to the local sales rep. Licenses have different prices in different countries, such as India and China, while Germany is good at offloading stuff to open source. They other lesson is if you don't produce your actual usage(proving you know) you won't get the best price. I used to say you don't need brandname sql, until I met DBA's you could not write a line of sql, and could only do drag and click operations. In which case your problem is that you have deskilled so much, you are at the mercy o

Re:

[jabuzz]

Possibly but you can run MS-SQL on Linux these days. There is no requirement for a Windows Server license which is what they claimed.

Re:

[jezwel]

Since MS changed the pricing to per core, how much is it going to run you now?

Exactly the same as before, the SQL server is assigned the number of cores it can access in the VM according to how many licences I throw at it - it doesn't care what the underlying CPU/core count/architecture is.

Actually, I guess I could trim the number of licences if the IPC increase is significant enough to do so. Might save me some $$$ at the next renewal if I don't need as many licences.

VMware ESXi Licensing/32-core limit

[random_nb]

VMware changed their licensing last year to count a "CPU" as "up to 32 cores". It's a real double-dip on dual socket systems, so a shiny new dual socket server with 40-core chips counts as four CPUs, despite actually representing under three 32-core units. Be sure to plan around this. https://www.vmware.com/company/news/updates/cpu-pricing-model-update-feb-2020.html [vmware.com]

Re:

[DontBeAMoran]

Solution: avoid VMWare, MS-SQL and all software that uses per-core and per-CPU licensing.

AVX-512?

[BAReFO0t]

You mean that nonsensical instruction set that serves no real need and only exists so Intel looks good in benchmarks?

Yeah, sure they'll beat everything in that area. ^^

Re:

[jabuzz]

That depends on your usage. I can assure you with scientific work loads AVX512 is highly useful for a substantial boost in speed. If you are just browsing the web and editing a Word document not so much.

Re:

[K. S. Kyosuke]

If you are just browsing the web and editing a Word document not so much

Yep. Mostly because pretty much no machines browsing the web and editing Word documents support it.

Re:

[DontBeAMoran]

Are you sure? I thought AVX512 was specifically made for hardware-acceleration of CMYK conversions in CSS3!

Re:

[Gwala]

It's not too bad for game programming too. Can be a real boon if you're updating lots of similar states simultaneously.

Re:

[BAReFO0t]

Let's list your proud contributions:

* personal attack
* prejudice born from jealousy
* confusing people with a lossy distorted summary existing comments
* giving people a bad mood
* ... aand that's it.

Thank you for your wise contributions. I am truly in awe of how much you taught me. You are the epitome of this site, good sir.
Do you have a newsletter I can subscribe to?

Re:

[UnknownSoldier]

Oh look, another comment whining about other people whining. /s

Ignoring the problems of greedy licensing per core doesn't magically make the problem go away. Maybe you live in fantasy land with an unlimited budget but the rest of us have to deal with real, limited budgets.

High core counts are exposing this greed. It is a valid concern.

Just because _you_ aren't effected doesn't mean others aren't effected by it.

How about proposing solution(s) instead of just whining about others.

Re:

[DontBeAMoran]

But the topic isn't about proprietary database software, it's about Intel's new 10nm Xeon processors.

Thanks, AMD

[zenlessyank]

Without EPYC these wouldn't be for sale. Yet.

Have they fixed Specture and spec execution yet?

[Canberra1]

No announcement if Spectre, meltdown and TLB fixed (and others) yet. The so called mitigation measures means newer versions run 10-26% slower. Now if you pay by the cpu, you are being ripped off for real world inefficiencies. Everything that turned people away from IBM Mainframes and ZOS, has been ported to PC land, or worse and more illogical and more expensive. VMWare no bankable benefit any more. Time to switch to open source or move off defective processors.

Re:

[vyvepe]

Metldown is fixed in hardware in 10-th and 11-th generation of intel desktop chips. I do not know about this xenon.

10nm?

[DontBeAMoran]

Didn't Intel start using 10nm in 2018? Why is this news?