Intel Unveils Clearwater Forest Xeon with 288 Cores on 18A Process

Intel's Next-Gen Server Processor Breakthrough

Intel has officially unveiled its groundbreaking Clearwater Forest Xeon processor family at Hot Chips 2025, marking a significant milestone in server computing technology. The new E-Core only Xeon CPUs represent Intel's first implementation of their advanced 18A process node in the server market, featuring an unprecedented 288 efficiency cores based on the Darkmont architecture.

Revolutionary 18A Process Technology

The Clearwater Forest processors utilize Intel's cutting-edge 18A manufacturing process, which incorporates RibbonFET transistors and PowerVia backside power delivery technology. This advanced node offers substantial improvements in power efficiency, cell density, and signal routing capabilities. The 18A process enables over 90% cell utilization rates while reducing power losses by 4-5% compared to previous generations.

Advanced Darkmont Core Architecture

At the heart of Clearwater Forest lies the Darkmont E-Core design, succeeding the Sierra Glen architecture used in Sierra Forest. The new cores deliver a 17% IPC improvement in SpecIntRate'17 benchmarks and feature significant architectural enhancements including:

• 64kB Instruction Cache with three 3-wide decoders
• 8-wide allocation with 16-wide retire capability
• 26 execution ports for improved parallelism
• 2x increase in Integer and Vector Execution units
• Enhanced memory subsystem with 128 outstanding L2 misses

Modular Chiplet Design

Clearwater Forest employs an innovative 3D chiplet architecture consisting of 12 CPU chiplets fabricated on the 18A process, three base tiles using Intel 3 technology, and two I/O chiplets based on Intel 7. This modular approach enables the massive 288-core configuration while maintaining efficient power delivery and thermal management.

Memory and Performance Capabilities

The processor supports 12-channel DDR5-8000 memory, delivering up to 1300 GB/s of memory bandwidth in dual-socket configurations. With support for up to 3TB memory capacity and 96 PCIe Gen5 lanes, Clearwater Forest is designed for the most demanding cloud-native and scale-out workloads. The architecture provides 576 MB of L3 cache and up to 59 TF/s of computational performance.

Competitive Landscape and Market Impact

Intel's Clearwater Forest represents a direct challenge to AMD's EPYC Bergamo and upcoming Zen 5C processors in the high-density server market. The 288-core configuration and advanced 18A process position Intel competitively in the race for datacenter efficiency and performance leadership.

Industry analysts note that while Clearwater Forest faces some production timeline challenges, its technological advancements demonstrate Intel's commitment to regaining process technology leadership and competing effectively in the rapidly evolving server processor market.