Intel reveals first engineering samples of Diamond Rapids Xeon processor with 32 cores and 18A-P process

An engineering sample of Intel's next-generation Xeon processor Diamond Rapids appeared in the SiSoftware database, confirming technical details of the chip built on the enhanced 18A-P process. The processor features 32 cores, 64MB of L2 cache, and 240MB of L3 cache, operating at just 1.1GHz—indicating a very early engineering sample. Diamond Rapids will be the successor to the Xeon 6 (Granite Rapids) targeting the data center market, with flagship models supporting up to 192 performance cores, 16 memory channels, and PCIe Gen6. Intel plans to launch Diamond Rapids in 2027, but faces significant competitive pressure from AMD's Zen 6 EPYC processors, which are expected to arrive in 2026.