Intel showed the first real samples of its 256-core Diamond Rapids Xeon 7, a server chip due in 2027.
Packing 256 P-cores onto Intel 18A-P gives each socket a high core count, and Intel pitches the chip at agent AI infrastructure. The chip has a TDP of up to 650W and uses a new LGA 9324 socket, so it’s a platform change, not a drop-in upgrade.
Wccftech reports that Intel revealed the samples at Tencent’s Global Digital Ecosystem Conference in China. Intel also said it’s upgrading Tencent’s CVM cloud instances from Granite Rapids-AP Xeon 6 to Clearwater Forest-AP Xeon 6+, and it described Diamond Rapids in AI terms.
CPU designed specifically for agent AI infrastructure
Intel, describing Diamond Rapids at the Tencent event
What’s in the chip
VideoCardz and Tom’s Hardware say the 256-core part uses 16 compute chiplets of 16 cores each, built on 18A-P. Intel says 18A-P delivers 9% higher performance than 18A at the same power, or 18% lower power at the same performance. Wccftech names the core Panther Cove-X, but Intel didn’t detail the core at Hot Chips. Intel hasn’t disclosed clock speeds.
How it lines up against Venice
| Intel Diamond Rapids (Xeon 7) | AMD EPYC 9006 Venice | |
|---|---|---|
| Cores | Up to 256 P-cores | Up to 256 (Zen 6C) or 96 (Zen 6) |
| Memory | 16 channels; DDR5 to 8,000 MT/s, MRDIMM to 12,800 MT/s | 16 channels; up to 1.6 TB/s |
| Process | Intel 18A-P (compute) | N2/N2P (compute), per Wccftech |
| Socket | LGA 9324 | SP7 |
| Max TDP | 650W | 600W |
| PCIe | 128 PCIe Gen6 lanes | PCIe Gen6 |
| Launch | 2027 | 10 November 2026 |
On paper the top core counts match. AMD’s EPYC 9006 Venice launched on 10 November 2026, and Diamond Rapids is due in 2027. AMD says Venice delivers a 70% generational performance jump, and Wccftech says Phoronix benchmarks show it beating Granite Rapids and Nvidia’s Vera. No Diamond Rapids benchmarks exist yet. Wccftech expects Diamond Rapids to win on platform continuity, software familiarity, and value, not raw leadership.
Wccftech reports that Intel itself expects to be competitive with AMD only with Coral Rapids, the generation after Diamond Rapids, which will arrive in 2028. For how Venice fares against Nvidia’s Vera, see our look at Venice vs Nvidia Vera.
Intel’s Xeon 6 already runs in Saudi-built servers, as HPE’s “Saudi Made” range shows, and Intel and e& teamed up to build an AI Centre with e& in Dubai. Diamond Rapids is due in 2027.
