Intel's next-generation Sapphire Rapids Xeon CPU family is expected to be unveiled by the second half of next year but won't see a volume launch till 2023 as revealed in a leaked slide posted over at Chiphell Forums (via HXL).

Volume Ramp of Intel's Next-Gen Sapphire Rapids Xeon SP CPU Family Not Expected Till 2023, Alleges Rumor

The slide shows Intel's upcoming Xeon CPU families which include the recently launched Cooper Lake-SP along with the upcoming Ice Lake-SP & Sapphire Rapids-SP lineups. Intel was expected to launch its Ice Lake-SP processors this year but they have slipped the 2020 launch schedule & will now be launching in the first half of 2021. However, knowing Intel's 10nm ramp, we cannot say for sure if Ice Lake-SP will be available in full or partial volume.

Intel's existing roadmap also showed Sapphire Rapids Xeon CPU family for 2021 but based on Ice Lake-SP's delay, we should expect the Sapphire Rapids family to be moved back too. Also while we don't exactly know the process node which Intel is going to use to fabricate Sapphire Rapid chips, we do know that it will be something better than the 10nm+ process node which Ice Lake-SP uses. We can expect Intel to use its 10nm SuperFin process node, similar to the Tiger Lake mobility CPU lineup, for its next-generation Xeon lineup. However, Tiger Lake and Sapphire Rapids are entirely different products.

There are rumors that Sapphire Rapids might be using a chiplet design which will allow for better yields than going for a monolithic design that Ice Lake-SP and older Xeon CPUs have utilized. Even still, we can't expect yields to be that great for an enhanced node with brand new architecture. Ice Lake-SP has already been delayed several times and mostly due to 10nm+ yields so expect a similar case with Sapphire Rapids on 10nm SuperFin. Intel will also be moving several product lines to 10nm during 2021-2022 which include Alder Lake for desktops, Tiger Lake for mobility & Ice Lake-SP for servers which would put stress on its 10nm fabs.

Intel also plans on producing server GPUs such as the Ponte Vecchio on its 10nm SuperFin process but most of the chip will be fabricated by external sources. As such, the slide seems to indicate that a volume ramp for Sapphire Rapids Xeon SP CPUs shouldn't be expected till 2023. Now, this does not mean that Sapphire Rapids-SP won't launch at all prior to 2023. The CPUs will be available to select customers and partners such as the Supercomputer contracts that Intel has signed up such as the Aurora (ARNL).

AMD's EPYC Genoa should also be available in full supply by the end of 2022 since Milan launches in Q1 2021 and AMD is going to wait at least a year before it could move on to the 4th Gen EPYC family. So Sapphire Rapids SP should barely make it in time to compete against AMD's next-gen EPYC lineup in full volume.

Intel Xeon CPU Families (Preliminary):