Now it’s official: Intel’s next-gen Sapphire Rapids processors are being delayed for the second time. The CPUs are originally scheduled to hit the market in the first quarter of 2022, but are now expected to arrive at an unknown later date.
Intel said the volume increase of these processors will come “later in the year than originally forecast.” What’s holding Sapphire Rapids back and what does it mean for its successor, Emerald Rapids?
This information comes straight from the source and was first discovered by computer base. In the BofA Securities Global Technology Conference, Intel’s Sandra Rivera confirmed that the next generation of Intel Xeon Sapphire Rapids will be delayed. By when? Rivera didn’t say so, but she was referring to a time later that year. This aligns with rumors we recently reported that would imply an October release date for Sapphire Rapids, meaning launch around the same time as the next consumer platform, Intel Raptor Lake.
Intel Sapphire Rapids uses the same Intel 7 process as Intel Alder Lake, which means it shares the same 7-nanometer process node. Although the consumer Intel Alder Lake did great, topping the charts for the best processors and coming out with ample capacity, Sapphire Rapids wasn’t so lucky. Rivera makes it clear that the company was hoping for a faster increase in volume than it has turned out to be.
The first processors from Sapphire Rapids have already been shipped to selected customers and are now being validated. However, it seems that Intel is not quite ready to launch the new line of high-performance chips for servers, data centers and various resource-intensive workloads.
While announcing the delay for Sapphire Rapids, Rivera spoke about Alder Lake’s success. “Alder Lake, our customer product, increased by 15 million units. I think we reported results in the first quarter, which does that […] one of the fastest growing customer products in nearly a decade,” Rivera said during the conference. “So the process is healthy, the capacity picture is good.”
Despite the seemingly good health of the Intel 7 process, Rivera cites “other issues” that the company is addressing in collaboration with customers who received early samples of the processors. It’s hard to say exactly what the problem might be, but it appears that issues with Sapphire Rapids need to be resolved before Intel can give the green light to mass production. Only then will the processors be officially released.
Sapphire Rapids is eventually overtaken by Emerald Rapids after launch. This is partly another reason why it is important for Sapphire Rapids to pass validation and enter production, as its successor will also be based on the same Intel 7 process technology and be compatible with the same socket.
Emerald Rapids processors were originally rumored to launch in the second half of 2023, but it’s hard to say if that estimate will hold up. In view of the current delays, it seems plausible that the next generation will also have to wait a little longer. On the other hand, if Intel manages to fix the problems with Sapphire Rapids, then perhaps this knowledge will come in handy when it comes time to start mass-producing Emerald Rapids CPUs.
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