Intel Discontinues Cascade Lake-X Processors

In a recent announcement, Intel revealed the discontinuation of Cascade Lake-X processors, which are part of the Intel Core X series. This decision, made on July 7, 2023, involves stopping the production of high-end desktop (HEDT) and workstation application models. It signifies Intel's move away from outdated components and a redirection of resources towards new products like Sapphire Rapids.

Introduced in 2019 as a successor to Skylake, the Cascade Lake series utilized 14-nanometer process technology. It included various application-specific products such as Cascade Lake-X for HEDT, Cascade Lake-W for workstations, and Cascade Lake-SP and -AP for servers.

Previously, Intel had already discontinued some Cascade Lake Xeon processors due to fierce competition from AMD's second-generation Epyc processor series, Rome, which employed Zen 2 architecture and 7-nanometer process technology. However, several Cascade Lake models were still available. After three years, Intel has now announced the discontinuation of the Cascade Lake-X and -W product lines through its latest Product Change Notification (PCN). Orders for these processors can be placed until April 26, 2024, with shipments expected to be completed by January 31, 2025.

This discontinuation highlights Intel's departure from the HEDT market, with Cascade Lake-X considered the last wave of HEDT processors. Rumors previously circulated that Intel might reenter the HEDT market with the release of Sapphire Rapids-X, the fourth-generation Xeon Scalable processor, in early 2023. However, no official updates have been provided thus far.

For workstation applications, it's important to note that the discontinued product line is Cascade Lake-W, specifically the Xeon W-2200 series. The subsequent Xeon W-3200 series, based on the Cascade Lake architecture, is not affected by this discontinuation. Notably, both series have successors in the form of Sapphire Rapids Xeon W-2400 and Xeon W-3400.

In addition to discontinuing certain Cascade Lake processors, Intel also announced the phase-out of the X299 and C422 chipsets in another PCN. These chipsets, launched in 2017 for the LGA2066 socket, supported three generations of processors: Skylake, Kaby Lake, and Cascade Lake.