Core Insights - Intel's new generation Xeon processor Clearwater Forest was unveiled at the Hot Chips 2025 conference, marking the first server chip built on the Intel 18A process technology [2] - Clearwater Forest features 288 efficient cores, providing up to 576 cores in a dual-socket configuration, along with over 1152MB of L3 cache, significantly enhancing performance and efficiency [2] Architecture Enhancements - The new Darkmont efficient core architecture includes a wider 3x3 decode engine, deeper out-of-order execution window, and stronger execution ports, resulting in approximately 17% improvement in instructions per clock (IPC) compared to the previous Crestmont core [4] - Clearwater Forest is compatible with the previous generation Sierra Forest processors and supports up to 12 channels of DDR5 RDIMM memory, designed for multi-threaded network services and AI inference tasks [5] Process Technology and Packaging - Clearwater Forest is one of the first products utilizing Intel 18A process technology, which reduces gate capacitance, enhances core logic power efficiency, and achieves over 90% battery utilization [7] - The PowerVia backside power delivery technology and RibbonFET transistors contribute to a 15% performance improvement per watt at the same power level and a 30% increase in chip density at the same area compared to Intel 3 [7] - The 3D architecture of Clearwater Forest, consisting of 12 CPU chiplets based on Intel 18A, integrates high-speed I/O and interconnect structures, showcasing the competitive performance and efficiency of the Intel 18A process node [8]