Intel’s Diamond Rapids Xeon Slips to 2027 With 512 Cores and 16-Channel Memory, Coral Rapids Brings Back SMT in 2028

How We Rate Rumors

• 0-20%: Unlikely - Lacks credible sources
• 21-40%: Questionable - Some concerns remain
• 41-60%: Plausible - Reasonable evidence
• 61-80%: Probable - Strong evidence
• 81-100%: Highly Likely - Multiple reliable sources

RUMOR ASSESSMENT

75%

Probable

Source 5/5

Corroboration 3/5

Technical 4/5

Timeline 3/5

Intel's next-gen Xeon "Diamond Rapids" CPUs will offer up to 512 cores, while Coral Rapids will bring back SMT on 8-channel platforms in 2028.

Intel Diamond Rapids 16-Channel Slips Into 2027, Features Up To 512 Cores

Intel Diamond Rapids "Xeon" CPUs were going to launch this year, but delays in plans have pushed it to 2027. The delay can be attributed to several reasons, such as yields and the fact that the 8-channel line was cancelled.

Now, Intel plans to launch Diamond Rapids "Xeon" CPUs in 2027. As per Jaykihn, Intel's mid-2027 plans for Diamond Rapids include a volume launch on the 16-channel platform. Diamond Rapids is expected to scale up to 256 P-cores initially and will peak out at 512 E-cores a few months after the 16-channel launch. It is also going to be the last Xeon lineup to come with a Non-SMT architecture. Besides that, the Diamond Rapids lineup will utilize Panther Cove-X as the P-Core architecture.

https://twitter.com/jaykihn0/status/2047776656538878202

The standard Diamond Rapids 16-channel and 512-core Diamond Rapids CPUs will be compatible on the same platform. This means that datacenters won't require a different socket or platform to support Intel's higher-core-count SKUs.

For Diamond Rapids, Intel will be introducing two brand new tiles. First, we have CBB "Core Building Block" which will be the compute tile, and the major detail about this is that, unlike Granite Rapids, which added the IMC on the same tile, Diamond Rapids will be separating it. Early platform details highlight up to 650W TDPs on the LGA 9324 platform with multi-socket capabilities.

After Diamond Rapids, Intel will introduce Coral Rapids, bringing back P-Cores with SMT support. The lineup is expected to launch in mid of 2028 with 8-channel platforms, but based on recent comments by Lip-Bu Tan, it is likely to be accelerated due to increased CPU demand for Agentic AI workloads.

Snapshot, subject to change.

Clearwater Forest 1H 2026.

Diamond Rapids mid 2027, 16CH.

Coral Rapids mid 2028, starting with 8CH.
As mentioned in Q1 call, may be accelerated.

Crescent Island and Crescent Island Workstation late 2026, Xe3p.

Jaguar Shores late 2027, Xe4.

— Jaykihn (@jaykihn0) April 24, 2026

Intel's Xeon CPU lineups are expected to see major traction, with a custom x86 SKU featuring NVLINK in the works and to be handed over to NVIDIA as the AI giant diversifies its CPU lineup into both x86 and Arm offerings. Expect to hear more on Xeon in the coming months.

Follow Wccftech on Google to get more of our news coverage in your feeds.