In recent years, Intel’s Xeon processors have been overshadowed by AMD’s EPYC in terms of hardware specifications. However, with the introduction of the new Xeon 6 series, Intel aims to catch up and perhaps even surpass AMD. The new "Xeon 6 R1S" series, in particular, shows promise in both core count and scalability.

The Xeon 6 R1S is part of the Xeon 6700 series, codenamed Granite Rapids, and is designed with a focus on scalability rather than sheer core count. The architecture caters to users who require significant scalability.

Physically, it can have up to 86 cores, but it will realistically offer around 80 cores in most configurations. For comparison, the higher-end Xeon 6900 series can have up to 128 cores.

Despite this, the Xeon 6 R1S still outperforms the AMD EPYC 8004 series, which maxes out at 64 cores. It's important to note that both processors are aimed at single-socket configurations.

A critical advantage of the Xeon 6 R1S is its support for up to 136 PCIe 5.0 lanes. This surpasses not only the 96 lanes available in the EPYC 8004 series but even the 128 lanes offered by the EPYC 9004 series.

This substantial number of high-speed PCIe 5.0 lanes allows users the flexibility to add various expansion cards, accelerator cards, or additional storage as needed.

However, time is of the essence for Intel. The Xeon 6700/6900 series is expected to launch between later this year and early next year, while AMD's fifth-generation EPYC, based on the Zen5 architecture, is set to be released this October.