With the prevalence of 5G core networks, infrastructure efficiency, power savings, and performance have been crucial for communication service providers. Processors play role in achieving these criteria.

For that reason, Intel Corporation has announced that its Intel Xeon 6 processors with Efficient-cores (E-cores) have accelerated time-to-market adoption for the company’s solutions in collaboration with the ecosystem.

In fact, Intel said, that since the introduction of the Xeon 6 processors in June 2024, core solution partners have independently validated a 3.2x performance improvement and another 3.8x performance per watt increase. Moreover, the product also managed a 60% reduction in run-time power consumption in collaboration with the Intel Infrastructure Power Manager, which the company launched at the Mobile World Congress 2024 (MWC 2024).

“As 5G core networks continue to build out using Intel Xeon processors, which are deployed in the vast majority of 5G networks worldwide, infrastructure efficiency, power savings and uncompromised performance are essential criteria for communication service providers (CoSPs),” said Alex Quach, Intel Vice President and General Manager of Wireline and Core Network Division.

Furthermore, Quach said its 5G core solution partners were able to accelerate the adoption of Intel Xeon 6 with E-cores. Thus, immediately passing along these benefits to their customers.

Why It Matters for CoSPs

For CoSPs, it is indeed invaluable for them to shorten the time to market. This is the reason why they have always been on the lookout for the newest platforms to reap increased energy consumption benefits. At the same time, they will be able to reduce their infrastructure footprints while maintaining a pinnacle level of performance.

Thus, all of these represent major challenges that CoSPs face as they modernize networks.

Historically, the ecosystem of virtualized 5G core solutions has relied on certifying solution software on new processor platforms to increase performance and power efficiency. With the Intel Infrastructure Power Manager, solution providers can take advantage of software from Intel to fully realize the benefits that Intel Xeon processors bring to reducing real-time power consumption.

In this way, performance and power-efficiency improvements from new hardware introductions are augmented with additional significant power-saving capabilities from easy-to-deploy software.

Innovations in the CPU

Major telecom equipment manufacturers and independent software vendors rely on Intel Xeon processors and architecture. Specifically, to optimize and unleash proven power savings for a more sustainable future.

One of them is Great Britain’s BT Group, which aims to accelerate growth through responsible, inclusive and sustainable tech. BT Group says it expects to leverage the capabilities of Intel Xeon 6 with E-cores to enable innovative services for its customers, while simultaneously reducing network energy footprint.

On the other hand, Dell Technologies has utilized Intel Xeon 6 processors with E-cores for its Dell PowerEdge R670. It offers an air-cooled, compute-dense server designed to improve performance for 5G core networks. Dell Technologies collaborated with Intel to significantly improve communications service providers time to market, while helping operators reduce infrastructure cost and footprint.

Meanwhile, the Ericsson Cloud Native Infrastructure Solution (CNIS) enables servers based on Intel Xeon 6 processors with E-cores as a system-verified solution to Ericsson’s entire dual-mode 5G core application portfolio. The close collaboration between Intel and Ericsson has helped to significantly reduce time-to-market introduction of new technology from years to months.

Hewlett Packard Enterprise is offering HPE ProLiant Compute Gen 12 based on Intel Xeon 6 processors with E-cores. These performance-dense servers consume less power-per-bit than prior generations and will enable operators to continue addressing network growth while reducing their carbon footprint, improving security, and simplifying operations.

NEC Corporation has been providing significant improvement in performance per watt and higher subscriber density for 4G/5G converged core and UPF with Intel Xeon 6 processors with E-cores. NEC will continue to contribute to achieving carbon neutrality through collaboration with Intel.

In addition, NTT Docomo is evaluating options for building its 5G network, focusing on the key criteria of performance per watt and subscriber density. NTT Docomo believes that Intel Xeon 6 processors with E-cores can effectively address the challenges in continuing to expand and enhance its network. At the same time, it also reduces power consumption and data center footprint.

03 March 2025