Intel's Granite Rapids Xeon CPUs spotted with up to 86 cores, 336MB cache, and $9,300 pricing

Threadripper Pro competition, anyone?

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The big picture: Intel is expected to unveil its Xeon "Granite Rapids" workstation processors at CES 2026, aiming to take on AMD's flagship Threadripper and Threadripper Pro lineups. Multiple leaks over the past few months have revealed key details about the upcoming chips, and new listings from an online retailer now appear to have disclosed their full specifications and pricing ahead of their debut.

Granite Rapids comprises several server and workstation CPUs, led by the Xeon 698X. The flagship is expected to feature 86 cores and 172 threads – substantially more than the 60 cores found in the W9-3595X Sapphire Rapids Refresh CPU, but still fewer than AMD's Zen 4-based Threadripper Pro 9995WX, which offers 96 cores and 192 threads.

Earlier speculation suggested that the Granite Rapids flagship could be a 128-core part, as it was believed to be based on the 128-core Xeon 6980P. However, two separate reports over the past couple of months have seemingly confirmed that it will feature "only" 86 cores and 172 threads.

According to the latest retailer listings, pricing for the Granite Rapids lineup will start at around $540 for the entry-level Xeon 634, which comes with 48MB of cache, a 2.7GHz base clock, and a 350W TDP. Meanwhile, the flagship 698X – equipped with 336MB of cache, a 2.0GHz base frequency, and a 380W TDP – could cost as much as $9,300.

Another listed CPU is the midrange Xeon 654, featuring 18 cores, 36 threads, 72MB of cache, a 3.1GHz base clock, and a 350W TDP. It carries an asking price of around $1,300. This chip will likely be positioned against the Threadripper Pro 9955WX, which features 16 cores and is priced at $1,649. Note that the listed prices are placeholders and will likely change following the official announcement.

Earlier leaks revealed that Granite Rapids-WS will be compatible with the W890 workstation platform, an upgrade over the W790 platform used by Sapphire Rapids Refresh. The lineup is reportedly divided into "Expert" and "Mainstream" configurations, with the former featuring 96 PCIe 5.0 lanes and the latter offering 80.

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Granite Rapids is expected to deliver higher memory bandwidth and improved power efficiency compared to Sapphire Rapids and Sapphire Rapids Refresh. Intel has also claimed that the lineup will provide two to three times better performance in mixed AI applications and other compute-intensive workloads compared to the Sapphire Rapids family.

The processors will also support advanced memory configurations, faster interconnects, and enhanced security features to meet the needs of modern data centers and content creators. Intel is expected to announce the Granite Rapids-WS lineup at CES 2026 next month, with availability beginning later in the year.