- The W890 card confirms that Intel’s next workstation platform is nearing completion
- Granite Rapids-WS strives for higher computing density for demanding workstation tasks
- The platform supports expanded storage via SATA, SlimSAS and two M.2 options
A new ADLINK ISB-W890 motherboard is the clearest indication yet that the Intel W890 platform is nearing maturity for the Granite Rapids WS generation.
The card follows the SSI-CEB standard and supports a single processor via Intel’s new Socket E2 configuration.
It has eight DDR5 RDIMM slots for a quad-channel controller, enabling configurations of up to one terabyte of ECC memory.
Platform and Connectivity Specifications.
This capability places the platform in the category of advanced workstations used for demanding computing tasks.
The hardware design confirms a storage configuration consisting of eight SATA III ports, two SlimSAS interfaces and two M.2 slots with support for NVMe drives.
PCIe lane allocation matches Intel’s split between Expert and Consumer modes.
The expert configuration offers up to 128 lanes via PCIe 5.0 and PCIe 4.0.
The ADLINK board implements seven PCIe slots, including three x16 slots and MCIO connectors for rapid expansion needs.
Network connections are via integrated controllers offering 1 Gigabit and 2.5 Gigabit connections, while management functions are based on an AST2600 BMC.
Rear I/O ports include USB 3.2 ports, VGA and DisplayPort outputs for the management controller, and a COM port for legacy devices.
Intel’s W890 platform is supported by upcoming Granite Rapids-WS Xeon processors, which can scale up to 86 cores, with boost speeds approaching 4.8 gigahertz.
These processors use the large E2 socket, which supports power levels up to 350 watts.
More evidence of the lineup has surfaced in the form of an article from SiSoftware Sandra, which references a 64-core, 128-thread Xeon 696X.
The article also describes large L2 and L3 cache pools and performance metrics consistent with this platform’s.
This new segment is intended to replace the aging Xeon W-3400 series used in high-end workstations.
Additionally, Intel continues to focus on single-socket workstations, a category that previously overlapped mobile workstations for lighter workloads.
ADLINK has confirmed that the ISB-W890 card will be used in the AX-7420GWA shallow server, a system aimed at GPU-accelerated workloads.
The platform supports up to twelve expansion slots and can accommodate a single Granite Rapids-WS processor in a four-drive rack format.
These confirmations suggest that the transition to the next generation of Xeon 6 hardware is progressing, as leaked documentation and official listings are now coming together.
In practice, the platform’s capabilities translate to higher performance levels than can be achieved with a mini PC.
This indicates that the W890 ecosystem is designed for advanced business and professional computing and not for consumer experimentation.
IN TechPowerUp