Thread by @SFoskett

And @PGelsinger takes the stage and immediately confirms that this is the launch of the fourth-generation #Xeon processor known as #SapphireRapids. He’s also emphasizing the #XeonMax brand!

@PGelsinger immediately turns it over to a video featuring @MichaelDell of @DellTech, then the CEO of @InspurSystems, then @AntonioNeri_HPE of @HPE, then @Lenovo

@PGelsinger Next up is @Cisco, @Supermicro_SMCI, Jensen Huang of @NVIDIA #Xeon

@PGelsinger Now we have Sandra Rivera of @Intel announcing the next-generation #Xeon with discussion of the computing challenges and demands from business. Let's see the specs!

@intel Given all the hooting and hollering, I do wonder where this is being held and who the audience is. @GestaltIT was not invited to attend live, and I’m not even sure who our AR contact is anymore… #Xeon

@intel Now we have some initial “big number” #Xeon #SapphireRapids specs: 2.9x better per watt, 50%+ better performance in #ML inferencing, #database, and #HPC, and #QuickAssist encoding improvements (compared to Skylake?)

Now @Intel turns the stage over to @AWSCloud to discuss how they use #Xeon in the #Cloud and how Intel uses #AWS. We at @GestaltIT recently evaluated the Intel platform for cloud and found that it presented a strong business case!

@GoogleCloud talks about the specific accelerators in #Xeon #SapphireRapids while @IBMCloud claims to be one of the first to deploy it. @OracleCloud also announces they’ll offer it everywhere too.

Next up we're talking #Xeon #security, including SGX and the new Trust Domain Extensions (TDX), which will be used in @Azure, Alibaba, @GoogleCloud, and more

It's #AI time at the @Intel #Xeon launch! @LisaSpelman takes the stage for her 8th Xeon launch, noting that they've been adding #ML accelerators since 2013.

As noted in our recent @GestaltIT whitepaper, accelerators are the key to Intel’s CPU strategy, both inside and external.

@Intel and @Fujitsu suggest 4x improvement in #Xeon #SapphireRapids #AI accelerators vs. Skylake. Talking #OpenVINO, which is something we heard a lot about on the @UtilizingTech podcast last season.

Now the the #Xeon announcement is here, I will be watching @ServeTheHome and @AnandTech for benchmark numbers and product details…

Now it’s time for #XeonMax, the #HPC version of #Xeon which includes HBM memory on package. This is all about delivering enough memory bandwidth to keep the cores fed. @Intel promises no code changes for a 3x performance and energy improvement!

@intel Meta thought on these semi-recorded “virtual launches”: It’s nice to see some high production value for corporate events again (no crappy mics or zoom please) but the cuts are a little jarring and I would prefer some real audience interaction… #Xeon

Now promising 2x performance per watt and 30% better #5G using #Xeon #SapphireRapids at the #Edge

Side note: Telefonica guy takes our audience perspective…

Lots of focus on #5G #RAN #Edge talk at the @Intel #Xeon launch, with Telefonica and Ericsson taking the stage. This is a huge market for Intel and it’s no joke that Xeon is everywhere there…

@intel Funny: #Xeon workstation got less time than "thank you Telefonica". I guess this reflects the difference in the market...

@intel I spoke too soon about the audio and video quality at the #Xeon virtual launch. Ugh. I would not have let that through…

@intel Got a brief glimpse of the audience at the #Xeon launch - they really are there! But who are they?

@PGelsinger is back on stage for @Intel #Xeon #SapphireRapids launch. A little awkward mentioning God and then talking about the “soul of the machine”

More celebrities on stage for #Xeon - @Cloudera @RedHat @SAP @VMware

@PGelsinger claims @Intel is on track to execute on his promises of new process nodes, new products, and manufacturing. This will be the deciding factor for the company! Competitors are not sleeping. #Xeon has to be a good CPU, but execution has to be great!

@intel Note: I realize I wrote “Skylake” instead of “Ice Lake” here. Oops! My bad!