Barcelona—At Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2025, Intel showcased its vision for the future of network infrastructure, highlighting the company’s new Xeon 6 processors and their potential to drive AI-powered telecom networks.
While Intel is showcasing advancements, this occurs against the backdrop of a challenging period where Intel has halted product launches and slowed its process technology roadmap.
Showcasing its Xeon 6 processors, Intel highlighted how these technologies are crucial for telecom operators aiming to upgrade infrastructure, decrease expenses, and create adaptable networks.
Role of Xeon 6 in network modernization
Intel’s strategy revolves around its Xeon 6 processors, designed to deliver high performance and power efficiency across various workloads, from data centers to the network edge. These processors come in two main flavors:
- Xeon 6700/6500 series with Performance-cores (P-cores): Optimized for modern data centers, balancing performance and energy efficiency. These processors offer an average of 1.4x better performance than the previous generation and are well-suited for AI systems.
- Xeon 6 for network and edge SoC: A system-on-chip designed for high performance and power efficiency in network and edge applications. It incorporates Intel’s built-in accelerators for virtualized radio access networks (vRAN), media, AI, and network security.
Intel Xeon 6 for network and edge SoC (Credit: Intel Corporation)
According to Intel, the new processors are helping operators virtualize 5G core and radio access networks by leveraging cloud technologies and close collaborations with partners. The Xeon 6 processors enable the future of AI-powered network modernization.
Latest products and telco strategy
In an exclusive interview with EE Times, Cristina Rodríguez, vice president and general manager, Network and Edge Group at Intel, shared insights into the company’s latest products and strategies. Rodríguez emphasized Intel’s long-term commitment to network virtualization, stating, “We’ve been in this journey of virtualizing for more than a decade.” She noted that the company started with the core network, which is now over 90% virtualized, and is expanding virtualization to the radio access network (RAN).
Rodríguez highlighted the significance of the Xeon 6 SoC (code-named Granite Rapids-D) for networking applications. “Two years later, last week, we launched Xeon 6 SoC, and I truly believe this is game-changing,” she said. According to Rodríguez, the new SoC more than doubles the capacity of previous generations while reducing power consumption by 70%.
AI acceleration and edge computing
A key feature of the Xeon 6 SoC is its built-in AI acceleration. Rodríguez explained that the SoC includes Intel Advanced Matrix Extensions (AMX), allowing efficient AI inference without needing an external GPU. “You can do basically any inference that you can think of in these guys,” she stated. This capability is particularly beneficial for edge computing applications, where AI can help with facial recognition and object detection tasks.
Cristina Rodríguez shows Xeon 6 SoC for network and edge (Credit: Intel Corporation)
Rodríguez described a demo showcasing facial recognition and detecting safety equipment in a construction area. The system can process up to 72 cameras making it suitable for intensive video processing applications. “So really, really cool and get up to 72 cameras. You can do a camera per core,” Rodríguez said.
Integrating AI capabilities at the edge opens up new possibilities for operators to monetize their networks. Operators can offer services such as smart manufacturing, video surveillance, and augmented reality by deploying AI-powered applications at the edge.
Security features
In addition to AI acceleration, the Xeon 6 SoC incorporates several security features. These include software guards and trust domain extensions that create a trusted execution environment. The SoC also provides compression and cryptography blocks, making it a secure platform for security appliances and firewalls.
According to Rodríguez, “When you put all that together, it makes it a very secure platform for security appliances, firewalls, you name it.”
These security features are crucial for modern networks, where data generation is surging at the edge, and security is a critical focus. The Intel Xeon 6 SoC enables more secure, zero-trust connections across the edge-to-cloud ecosystem.
Ecosystem and partner support
Intel emphasizes the importance of its ecosystem and collaborations with partners and customers. The company works closely with OEMs, ISVs, and telecom operators to develop and deploy its technologies.
Rodríguez mentioned that Intel has been working very closely with OEMs such as Dell and HPE, as well as ISPs and the broader ecosystem. “We have worked very closely with the OEMs. The industry will get a lot out of it, and again, we think it’s game-changing.”
Several partners have already announced their support for Intel Xeon 6 processors:
- BT Group: Aims to leverage Intel Xeon 6 with E-cores to enable innovative services while reducing network energy footprint.
- Dell Technologies: Offers the Dell PowerEdge R670 with Intel Xeon 6 processors with E-cores, designed to improve performance for 5G core networks.
- Ericsson: Enables servers based on Intel Xeon 6 processors with E-cores as a system-verified solution to Ericsson’s entire dual-mode 5G core application portfolio.
- Hewlett Packard Enterprise: Offers HPE ProLiant Compute Gen 12 based on Intel Xeon 6 processors with E-cores, which consume less power per bit, improve security, and simplify operations.
- Nokia: Shows its most power-efficient solution for 5G Packet Core using Intel Xeon 6 processors with E-cores, achieving a 60% reduction in run-time power consumption on commercial servers.
- Samsung: Plans to feature Intel Xeon 6 processors with E-cores in its next-generation release of Samsung Cloud Native Core, delivering a 3.2x improvement in performance.
Power efficiency and sustainability
A key focus of Intel’s Xeon 6 processors is power efficiency. The processors are designed to reduce energy consumption and lower operators’ total cost of ownership. Intel Xeon 6 processors with Efficient Cores (E-cores) have seen widespread adoption among 5G core solution vendors and telecom operators.
According to Intel, the Xeon 6 processors enable substantial performance-per-watt efficiency, allowing for an average 5:1 consolidation of a 5-year-old server, with the potential for up to 10:1 in certain use cases. This results in up to 68% savings in total cost of ownership (TCO).
Several partners have reported significant power savings using Intel Xeon 6 processors:
- Ericsson: Achieved a 3.8x improvement in performance-per-watt with software optimizations.
- Nokia: Delivered a 60% reduction in run-time power consumption for its 5G Packet Core solution.
- SK Telecom: Estimates CPU power savings of 32% per day using SKT’s traffic model with Hewlett Packard Enterprise DL340 servers based on Intel Xeon 6 processors with E-cores.
Challenges and future directions
While Intel is making significant strides in network virtualization and AI-powered networks, challenges remain. Operators face high capital expenditures, security concerns, and the need to integrate with legacy systems.
Rodríguez acknowledged that operators seek ways to monetize their networks and generate new revenue streams. She mentioned that 5G standalone (5G SA) deployments are essential for network slicing. “Standalone is important for network slicing, and network slicing is going to be one of the ways to monetize,” she said.
Intel is working with operators to explore new applications at the edge, such as workload consolidation and additional services. The company also addresses the challenge of helping operators sell new services to vertical industries. As Rodríguez noted, “There are unlimited possibilities.”
3/6/2025 | Elektrik - Elektronik Mühendisliği
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