As yet another indication that the Omni-Path product line is reaching its final stages, Intel is discontinuing the first-generation Xeon Scalable processors with integrated on-package Omni-Path Architecture.
When Intel launched the Skylake-SP in 2017, it added some models with the 100Gb/s HPC Omni-Path Architecture (OPA) fabric on-package. They were designated with the -F suffix, such as the Xeon Platinum 8176F. However, these models are now being discontinued, as Intel notified in a Product Change Notification (PCN) on Monday. There are eight of them in total, comprising six Xeon Gold and two Xeon Platinum CPUs.
The last orders can be made until April 24 of 2020, and the last shipment date is October 9, 2020. As reason, Intel says that demand for the processors has shifted to other products.
The end-of-life (EOL) of the Omni-Path is another sign that Intel is abandoning Omni-Path. The second-generation Xeon Scalable that launched in April, Cascade Lake, didn’t have any models with integrated Omni-Path. And a few months ago, Intel said that it had stopped development of the second-generation OPA200.
Intel still has another networking product line with Ethernet and silicon photonics. A few weeks ago, Intel started shipping its 100Gb/s Ethernet 800 series. Also recently, Intel made several silicon photonics announcements. The company shared that its 400Gb/s silicon photonics would go into production in the first half of 2020 and introduced a new 200Gb/s product also for the first half of 2020. The company also said its silicon photonics run rate in one year had doubled to two million units per year.
