10nm SoC for 5G Base Stations, Atom P5900 Platform
2nd Gen Intel Xeon Scalable Processors Added
5G Acceleration ASIC, Codename Diamond Mesa, Announced


To fully realize the potential of 5G, network infrastructure must be transformed from the core to the edge.

On the 25th, Intel announced a suite of 5G network-related hardware and software products that were scheduled to be unveiled at MWC 2020.


10nm SoC for base stations, Intel Atom P5900 platform
The number of 5G base stations is expected to reach 6 million by 2024.

The Intel Atom P5900 provides the capabilities required for current and future 5G base stations, including a highly efficient virtual computing environment, ultra-low latency, accelerated throughput, and precise load balancing.

This product is currently being supplied to the market.


New 2nd Gen Intel Xeon Scalable Processors Added
Due to the impact of 5G, 50% of the world's core networks are expected to be virtualized this year, and more than 80% by 2024.
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2nd Gen Intel Xeon Scalable processors provide up to 36% improved performance and 42% improved cost-performance compared to the previous generation Intel Xeon Gold products.

Intel Xeon Scalable products protect data and platforms with hardware-hardened security and built-in cryptographic accelerators. Along with this, Intel updated 18 Select Solutions that support new processors used across high-priority customer workloads.


5G Network Acceleration ASIC, Diamond Mesa
Codenamed Diamond Mesa, Intel’s network processor is designed to provide the performance required for 5G networks and reduce latency, and is intended to complement Intel’s CPU and FPGA portfolio.

Structured ASICs like Diamond Mesa can be optimized with minimal risk in workloads that do not require the full programmability of an FPGA. Therefore, performance efficiency can be doubled compared to the previous generation.

Diamond Mesa is supplied to select customers first.


Ethernet NIC optimized for 5G networks,
Intel Ethernet 700 Series Network Adapter
The Ethernet 700 series is a 5G-optimized network adapter and a hardware-enhanced Precision Time Protocol (PTP) that provides time synchronization between GPS-based network services.

To reduce latency in implementing 5G networks, improvements to existing Ethernet technology at edge servers are required. Cost-effectively maintaining accurate time synchronization across the network helps address latency.

The Ethernet 700 Series adapter combines enhanced hardware and software to increase the time accuracy required for 5G networks. It is currently being sampled and is scheduled to be produced starting in the second quarter of 2020.


New software investment announcement
Intel OpenNESS now supports standalone 5G NR and Enhanced Platform Awareness (EPA) implementations, helping customers easily implement the cloud-native edge microservices they want.

OpenNESS complements Intel OpenVINO and Open Visual Cloud for edge computing development. In addition, Intel provides custom OpenNESS experience kits.

Navin Shenoy, Intel Senior Vice President and General Manager of the Data Platform Group, said, “Intel is focusing on the 5G network infrastructure market,” adding, “We forecast that the silicon market related to 5G will grow to $25 billion by 2023.”