Intel´s forthcoming ´Diamond Rapids´ Xeon processors are set to debut with the new LGA9324 socket, as revealed by a leaked photograph circulating on social media. The socket itself features 9,324 contact points, giving it the highest pin density of any Intel or AMD server platform to date. Including auxiliary debug pins, overall connectivity could exceed 10,000 points, marking a significant leap from Intel´s current LGA7529 and AMD´s SP5 offerings. This level of expansion is tied to Intel´s next-generation Oak Stream platform, which will specifically support the advanced requirements of the Diamond Rapids Xeon family.
The Diamond Rapids lineup is designed to succeed the Granite Rapids series, covering both Advanced Performance (AP) and Scalable Performance (SP) market segments. Early insight from server cooling prototypes suggests that the Xeon family will be split, with high-end AP variants akin to the Xeon 6900P and a less demanding SP series that may feature a slightly lower pin count. This approach mirrors current segmentation, but the increased pin density signals ambitions for even greater core counts, bandwidth, and power handling. As a point of reference, the LGA7529 can accommodate up to 128 performance cores, 12 DDR5 memory channels, and up to 500-watt power envelopes, suggesting the LGA9324 could enable further milestones in server compute power.
Physically, the new LGA9324 socket is substantially larger than the LGA1851 socket used in Intel´s Arrow Lake desktop CPUs—nearly five times its size—emphasizing its datacenter focus. Underneath, Diamond Rapids will use the Panther Cove-X core architecture, described as a server-optimized version of Coyote Cove, which is employed in Nova Lake. Diamond Rapids chips are being produced on the advanced Intel 18A process, with high-volume manufacturing targeted for late 2025 or early 2026. These innovations position Diamond Rapids as a high-performance solution for enterprise, cloud, and Artificial Intelligence-driven workloads in the years ahead.
