Understanding Intel® Xeon® Processors: Numbers and Suffixes
Content Type: Product Information & Documentation | Article ID: 000059657 | Last Reviewed: 01/28/2026
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Intel® Xeon® Processors
Intel® Xeon® Processor numbers and suffixes are used to differentiate features within each processor family, not across different families. The numbers and suffixes can indicate the performance, features, and generation. Here are some key points to understand:
| Important Notes: |
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See the information below for specific details.
Intel® Xeon® 6 Processors
The Intel® Xeon® 6 Processors branding will use the following naming:
| Corporate brand | Intel® |
| Product brand | Intel® Xeon® |
| Generation | Intel® Xeon® 6 |
| Series | 6xxxx - Series |
| Microarchitecture | E-Core / P-Core |
Example:
Note: For future releases on the Intel® Xeon® 6 Processors, the same branding name will be used.
Intel® Xeon® Scalable Processors
The first digit of the four-number sequence on the naming indicates the processor level, as follows:
| Processor Level | |
| 8,9 | Platinum |
| 6 | Gold |
| 5 | Gold |
| 4 | Silver |
| 3 | Bronze |
The second digit indicates the processor generation
| Processor Generation | |
| 1 | 1st Gen Intel® Xeon® |
| 2 | 2nd Gen Intel® Xeon® |
| 3 | 3rd Gen Intel® Xeon® |
| 4 | 4th Gen Intel® Xeon® |
| 5 | 5th Gen Intel® Xeon® |
The third and fourth digits indicate the SKU number
These numbers do not represent any specific feature. In general, the better processor has a larger SKU number.
| Note: | To view or compare specific features of Intel® Xeon® Processors (for example, number of cores, Max Turbo Frequency, and so on), visit the Intel Product Specifications website and search or navigate to the specific processor numbers. |
| Options | 1st Gen Intel® Xeon® Scalable Processors (formerly Skylake) | 2nd Gen Intel® Xeon® Scalable Processors | 3rd Gen Intel® Xeon® Scalable Processors (formerly Ice Lake-SP or Cooper Lake) | 4th Gen Intel® Xeon® Scalable Processors (formerly Sapphire Rapids) and 5th Gen Intel® Xeon® Scalable Processors (formerly Emerald Rapids) |
| F | Support for Fabric version of the processor that has an integrated Intel® Omni-Path Connector | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| H | N/A | N/A | Processors for use in 4- or 8-socket configurations only. These processors were formerly codenamed Cooper Lake. All other 3rd Generation Intel Xeon Scalable Processors (without the H suffix) are formerly codenamed Ice Lake and support 1- or 2-socket configurations. Cooper Lake and Ice Lake processors are not interchangeable within a system. | Database and Analytics up to 4S and 8S depending on SKU |
| M | Large Memory Tier (See Memory Capacity table.) | N/A | Processor specifications optimized for AI and media processing workloads. | Processor specifications optimized for AI and media processing workloads. |
| N | N/A | Specialized for Networking/Network Function Virtualization workloads | Processor specifications optimized for communications/networking/NFV (Network Function(s) Virtualization) workloads and operating environments. | Network/5G/Edge (High TPT /Low Latency) Processor specifications optimized for communications/networking/NFV (Network Function(s) Virtualization) workloads and operating environments. |
| P | Support for integrated Intel® FPGA | N/A | Processor specifications optimized for IaaS cloud environments such as orchestration efficiency in high-frequency VM environments. | Processor specifications optimized for IaaS cloud environments such as orchestration efficiency in high-frequency VM environments. |
| Q | N/A | N/A | Lower Tcase SKUs, targeted towards liquid cooling | Lower Tcase SKUs, targeted towards liquid cooling |
| R | N/A | Designates that a SKU has been refreshed from the prior generation | N/A | N/A |
| S | N/A | Optimizations for Search Engine Providers | Support the maximum Intel® Software Guard Extensions (Intel® SGX) enclave capacity of 512GB (per processor) with up to 1TB Intel® SGX enclave capacity in a two-socket configuration. 8368Q also supports up to 512GB Intel® SGX enclave capacity. | Storage-optimized SKU with full accelerators enabled (DSA, QAT, DLB)
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| T | Thermal and Long-Life Cycle Support | Thermal and Long-Life Cycle Support | Support for up to 10-year reliability and support for higher Tcase. These SKUs are often used in operating environments with long-life use requirements and require Network Equipment Building System (NEBS)–Thermal friendly specification support. | Support for up to 10-year reliability and support for higher Tcase. These SKUs are often used in operating environments with long-life use requirements and require Network Equipment Building System (NEBS)–Thermal friendly specification support. |
| U | N/A | Single Socket Optimized | Supported in one-socket configurations only. Note: Some workload-optimized SKUs (N, and V for example) might also be 1 socket optimized. Refer to ARK.intel.com for SKU details. | Supported in one-socket configurations only. Note: Some workload-optimized SKUs (N and V for example) might also be 1 socket optimized. Refer to ARK.intel.com for SKU details. |
| V | N/A | Virtual Machine (VM) Density Value Specialized | Processors specification optimized for SaaS cloud environments./em> | Processors specification optimized for SaaS cloud environments. |
| Y | N/A | Support for Intel® Speed Select Technology - Performance Profile (Intel® SST-PP) | Support for Intel® Speed Select Technology - Performance Profile (Intel® SST-PP) 2.0. Some workload-optimized SKUs (S, N, V, and so on) will also support Intel® Speed Select Technology – Performance Profile 2.0. Refer to ARK.intel.com for SKU details. | Support for Intel® Speed Select Technology - Performance Profile (Intel® SST-PP) 2.0. Some workload-optimized SKUs (S, N, V, and so on) will also support Intel® Speed Select Technology – Performance Profile 2.0. Refer to ARK.intel.com for SKU details. |
| + | N/A | N/A | N/A | Feature plus(+) SKU contains 1 of each accelerator enabled (DSA, DLB, QAT, IAA) |
Note: Suffix may follow indicating options. For more details about SKUs, please visit: Intel® Product Specifications
Suffix may follow indicating memory capacity
| Memory Capacity | 1st Gen Intel® Xeon® Scalable Processors (formerly Skylake) | 2nd Gen Intel® Xeon® Scalable Processors | 3rd Gen Intel® Xeon® Scalable Processors (formerly Cooper Lake - these SKUs have an H suffix) | 3rd Gen Intel® Xeon® Scalable Processors (formerly Ice Lake - these SKUs do not have an H suffix) | 4th Gen Intel® Xeon® Scalable Processors (formerly Sapphire Rapids-SP) and 5th en Intel® Xeon® Scalable Processors (formerly Emerald Rapids) |
| No Suffix | Up to 768 GB per socket | Up to 1 TB per socket (except 9xxxx SKUs that support up to 3 TB per socket) | Up to 1.12 TB per socket | Up to 6 TB per socket | Up to 4 TB per socket |
| L | N/A | Up to 4.5 TB per socket | Up to 4.5 TB per socket | N/A | N/A |
| M | Up to 1.5 TB per socket | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |