Intel has unveiled two new processor families: the Xeon 600 series for workstations and the Core Ultra Series 3 vPro for commercial PCs, delivering performance and security upgrades across enterprise and professional workloads.
Xeon 600 Series: 11 Models, Up to 86 Cores
The Xeon 600 series (formerly Granite Rapids-WS) launches with 11 models, five available in retail boxed versions. Built on the Redwood Cove microarchitecture, the lineup features only P-cores with hyper-threading, supporting up to 86 cores. Each core integrates Intel AMX for accelerated workloads and supports AVX-512.
Compared to the previous Sapphire Rapids-WS generation, Intel claims up to 61% higher multi-thread performance and 9% higher single-thread performance. The platform supports up to 4TB of ECC memory in an 8-channel configuration at 8000MT/s, along with 128 PCIe 5.0 lanes.
Pricing starts at $499, topping out at $7,699. Availability includes OEM systems, retail boxed units, and motherboards with the new W890 chipset.
Core Ultra Series 3 vPro: Commercial Refinement with Strong Graphics
The Core Ultra Series 3 vPro (formerly Panther Lake) targets enterprise users. Built on Intel 18A for the compute tile, it combines Cougar Cove P-cores and Darkmont E-cores with the NPU 5 AI accelerator and up to 12-core Xe3 integrated graphics.
The X-series models, featuring the full 12 Xe3 cores, deliver standout GPU performance. Intel’s internal benchmarks show the Core Ultra X7 358H slightly ahead of AMD’s Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 375 in general productivity, with a significant lead in graphics and stronger AI performance in Geekbench AI.
The platform supports up to 96GB LPDDR5 memory and 12 PCIe 5.0 lanes.
New Features: Device IQ and Security Upgrades
Intel introduced Device IQ, a telemetry and remediation tool available through partners like Lakeside and Control Up. On the security front, vPro now includes Total Storage Encryption (TSE) and Intel Threat Detection Technology for real-time malware detection. NPU-based CrowdStrike Falcon Data Protection safeguards sensitive data during workloads.
vPro-enabled Core Ultra devices come with a 10-year maintenance service window, lowering enterprise TCO.
Availability
Over 125 Panther Lake designs from OEMs including Acer, ASUS, Dell, HP, Fujitsu, and Panasonic Connect are ready, with systems launching starting March 31.
ICgoodFind: Intel just refreshed its entire commercial processor stack—Xeon for workstations, Core Ultra for enterprise—with performance gains, stronger graphics, and security features baked in.
