Intel has been playing catch-up with AMD for several generations of server CPUs, but 2026 could be the year it finally draws level, at least as far as core counts are concerned. A new leaked slide alleges that Intel's next-generation Diamond Rapids Xeon server CPU design could have as many as 192 cores, bringing it in line with AMD's top-of-the-line Epyc 9965.
Although AMD and Intel have remained hotly competitive on performance in the consumer space since AMD launched its Ryzen CPUs in 2017, Intel has struggled to compete with the sheer core count quantities of AMD's HEDT and server chips for several years . Next year, it'll finally pull level, and it'll bring PCIe upgrades and massively expanded DDR5 memory support to help level the playing field.
The slide from x86deadandback on Twitter/X (via Tom's Hardware ) suggests that the chips are aiming for a 2026 release and will have up to 192 cores, spread across four compute units. They'll need a lot of power to manage it, though, with the top CPU reportedly drawing as much as 500W. That would also bring it in line with AMD's high-end Epyc alternatives.
Alongside the core count increase, Diamond Rapids Xeon CPUs will support PCIe 6.0 , doubling the bandwidth of all PCIe lanes. The slide also suggests that there will be two versions, one supporting eight-channel memory and another supporting 16-channel memory. The latter is four more than AMD's top Epyc chips, which could give these CPUs an advantage. Considering AMD's Threadripper HEDT chips also sport eight channels, it's possible the eight-channel version of Diamond Rapids will be Intel's next-generation high-end desktop CPU design.
The new chips will reportedly be built on Intel's 18A process node, so in the sub-2nm region, which will also deliver some significant performance and efficiency improvements, assuming Intel can mass produce CPUs on that node. However, recent rumors suggest Intel might not manufacture the 18A node at scale due to limited interest from customers, pushing ahead to 14A. That doesn't mean that it won't fabricate its own CPUs on 18A, but that the yield may not be there in sufficient quantities to enable greater cost savings.
Even if all goes to plan, though, and these CPUs arrive on time, at a fair price, and with some of the features and specifications this slide suggests, they'll still be a generation behind. AMD's 192-core Ryzen 9965 is out right now. Next year, when this slide alleges Intel will launch Diamond Rapids, AMD will be launching its Zen 6 Venice CPUs, which will reportedly have up to 256 cores.
