Starting April 9, some Diablo fans will be able to play the Diablo 2 remaster, Diablo 2: Resurrected, as part of a “technical alpha” test, Blizzard announced on Tuesday. A small group of players who opted into the alpha test via Blizzard’s website will get an invite sometime this week. The test period will run until Monday, April 12.
The Diablo 2: Resurrected technical alpha doesn’t allow for co-op play (it’s single-player only) and features three of the game’s seven classes: the Barbarian, Amazon, and Sorceress. Fans and some streamers will be able to play through the first two acts of Diablo 2: Resurrected, including the Duriel boss fight.
While this alpha is single-player only and has a limited number of classes available, there won’t be a level cap. Dedicated players will be able to test a fully leveled up version of the three available classes if they have the patience and time to grind them to max level.
Blizzard also promised a multiplayer-focused alpha test later in 2021.
Blizzard originally announced Diablo 2: Resurrected at its BlizzConline event earlier this year. The remaster is exactly the Diablo 2 fans remember, warts and all, fully revitalized with 4K graphics and Dolby Surround sound. Blizzard hasn’t announced a release date for Diablo 2: Resurrected, but it will come to Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
Disney’s legendary movie trailer voiceover artist Mark Elliott dies at 81 following multiple heart attacks
Mark Elliott, one of Hollywood’s most iconic voiceover artists, is dead at 81
He died at a Los Angeles area hospital following two heart attacks, according to a friend who spoke with The Hollywood Reporter
Elliott served as the primary voice behind Disney’s movie trailers and promos for decades from 1983-2008
He was first hired by Disney in 1977 for the Cinderella theatrical release
Elliott also did voiceover work for networks like CBS and FOX
By Caitlyn Becker For Dailymail.com
Published: | Updated:
The legendary voiceover artist behind some of Disney’s most famous animated films, Mark Elliott, had died at the age of 81.
Rest in peace: The legendary voiceover artist behind some of Disney’s most famous animated films, Mark Elliott, had died at the age of 81
Elliott passed away in a Los Angeles hospital following two heart attacks on Saturday, according to a friend who spoke with The Hollywood Reporter.
Perhaps not recognizable by his face or name, Disney fans will immediately know Elliott’s voice which he lent to the movie trailers and promos for some of Disney’s most popular films in the 80s, 90s and early aughts.
‘He was one of a kind … and kind is a great word to describe him,’ friend and fellow voice artist Charlie Van Dyke told THR.
At the time of his death, Elliott had been battling lung cancer, EW reported.
Another colleague, Joe Cipriano, who had a bit role with Elliott in Lake Bell’s voice over comedy In A World, shared a touching tribute on Facebook.
Cipriano shared the story of how he got his start in the business by watching Elliott record primetime comedy promos for CBS on the studio lot in Television City.
Elliot passed away in a Los Angeles hospital following two heart attacks on Saturday, according to a friend who spoke with The Hollywood Reporter (Pictured with friend and fellow voice over artist Joe Cipriano)
‘We talked in between his promo sessions and he told me two things about promos – never take a vacation and never buy a home based on voice over income,’ he penned.
‘Mark was a true gentleMAN – Getting to share all of our scenes in Lake Bell’s ‘In a World’ was icing on the cake. I’m so sad about Mark’s passing,’ Cipriano said.
Mark worked first in radio and then made the transition to voice over work. He was hired by Disney to voice the trailer for the theatrical release of Cinderella in 1977.
He was the voice of Disney during the studio’s animated feature hey-day, with films like The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Little Mermaid, The Lion King, Hercules and Aladdin.
‘He was one of a kind … and kind is a great word to describe him,’ friend and fellow voice artist Charlie Van Dyke told THR.
He worked as the voice of the Mouse House from 1983-2008 and also did voice work throughout his career for commercials, films and networks like CBS and FOX.
‘You think about decisions that were made and paths that were chosen and all that sort of thing, and [working for Disney] for me is the defining moment in my life, not just my career but in my life. Because it did is give me this identity which … continues to this day,’ he was once quoted as saying, according to THR.
‘[Being the voice of Disney] is a wonderful touchstone for my career. If that’s the identity that I carry with me for the rest of my life, I wouldn’t have it any other way,’ he added at the time.
Iconic voice: Elliott was the voice of Disney during the studio’s animated feature hey-day, with films like The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Little Mermaid, The Lion King, Hercules and Aladdin; he worked with the studio from the 1980s until 2008
Mark was born John Harrison Frick Jr in Cedar Rapids, Iowa in 1939. He legally changed his name for professional reasons.
During an interview with VO Buzz Weekly, Mark shared the story of how network executives had wanted to change his name to Johnny Barron but he refused because he didn’t like the sound.
After mulling over ‘silly’ names like Vic Vanilla and Charlie Chocolate, the team narrowed it down to Mark Anthony and Clark Elliott. Ultimately he landed on Mark Elliott and made the change official.
His story: Mark was born John Harrison Frick Jr in Cedar Rapids, Iowa in 1939. He legally changed his name for professional reasons and worked in radio for decades before switching to voice overs
General Motors just confirmed it’s making an all-electric version of the Chevy Silverado pickup truck, the company’s bestselling vehicle. The new truck will be powered by GM’s new EV battery and will offer around 400 miles on a full charge.
The company did not immediately say when the electric Silverado will go on sale, but GM president Mark Reuss said at an event on Tuesday that the company will also make commercial fleet-focused versions of the truck. GM has been teasing an electric Silverado for months now. It previously said it may not release a pickup EV until mid-decade and hadn’t officially announced the truck was coming until Tuesday.
The electric Silverado will be made at “Factory Zero,” the recently rebranded Detroit-Hamtramck plant dedicated to EVs and AVs that GM is currently retooling at a cost of more than $2 billion. It’s the same plant where GM will build the all-electric Hummer SUV and Hummer pickup.
An electric Silverado is a big step for GM and its Chevy brand — the automaker is planning to sell some 30 electric vehicles globally by 2025 — but it’s not too surprising considering that rival Ford already has an electric F-150 in the works. Ford’s electric pickup is due out next year. The Silverado is so important to GM that it’s currently selling versions of the truck that are missing a microchip that helps improve fuel economy thanks to the global semiconductor shortage.
A slew of other electric pickups are supposed to hit the market in the next few years. Rivian’s R1T pickup is due out later this year. Tesla’s Cybertruck is supposed to start shipping sometime around the end of this year or early 2022. GM’s own electric Hummer pickup is meant to go on sale around that same time.
Many other startups are working on electric pickups, too, including Lordstown Motors — which is backed by GM and is planning to manufacture its trucks at the legacy automaker’s former factory in Lordstown, Ohio. GM was at one point negotiating to take a stake in electric trucking startup Nikola, which was working on a pickup before it became mired in scandal. Before that, GM reportedly wanted an exclusive deal with Rivian, which left room for Ford to partner up with that EV startup.
The Silverado EV will undoubtedly be a flagship vehicle of the custom electric vehicle platform GM announced last year, called Ultium. Designed to be modular, the Ultium platform is what will power most of GM’s forthcoming electric vehicles. The company has promised the platform will be able to provide as much as 400 miles of range in the biggest configurations, and that the trucks built on Ultium will feature 800-volt architecture that allows for really fast charging.
“We don’t train leg-neck restraints with officers in service, and as far as I know, we never have,” Lt. Johnny Mercil said.
While neck restraints may be allowed on suspects actively resisting, they are not to be done with the knee and they would not be authorized on a suspect who is handcuffed and under control, he said. Officers are taught to only use force that is proportional to the threat.
“You want to use the least amount of force necessary to meet your goals,” Mercil said. “If you can use a lower level of force to meet your objectives, it’s safer and better for everyone involved.”
The testimony comes as a series of police supervisors and high-level officials have taken the stand to say that Chauvin violated department policies while restraining Floyd on May 25, 2020. Foremost among them was Chief Medaria Arradondo, who on Monday thoroughly rejected Chauvin’s decision to kneel on the neck of Floyd — who was handcuffed and in a prone position — for over 9 minutes.
“That in no way shape or form is anything that is by policy. It is not part of our training, and it is certainly not part of our ethics or our values,” Arradondo said.
Combined, their testimony cuts at the heart of the defense’s argument that Chauvin “did exactly what he had been trained to do” when he restrained Floyd last May. Further testimony from police experts is expected on Tuesday as prosecutors seek to show he used excessive and unreasonable force on Floyd.
Chauvin, 45, has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder, third-degree murder and third-degree manslaughter. Defense attorney Eric Nelson has not indicated whether Chauvin will testify in his own defense.
Testimony in the trial began last Monday and is expected to last about a month.
The focus on police policy is a shift from the first week of the trial, which centered on what happened to Floyd on his last day. The testimony featured video from a bevy of cellphones, surveillance cameras and police body cameras; testimony from distressed bystanders; descriptions from paramedics and police supervisors who responded to the scene; and Chauvin’s own statements about what happened.
Training coordinator emphasizes de-escalation
The training coordinator for the Minneapolis Police Department’s crisis intervention program testified Tuesday about the importance of recognizing when someone is in crisis and de-escalating the situation.
“Policy requires that when it’s safe and feasible, we should de-escalate,” said Sgt. Ker Yang, who has been with the department for 24 years.
Officers are trained in a critical decision-making model to address people in crisis that calls on them to continually assess and reassess what is needed in the situation, he said. Chauvin took a 40-hour course on crisis intervention training in 2016 in which actors portrayed people in crisis and officers had to de-escalate the situation, Yang testified.
In cross-examination, Yang said that the crisis intervention model can potentially apply to the suspect as well as nearby observers. The training advises officers to appear confident, stay calm, maintain space, speak slowly and softly and avoid staring or eye contact, he said.
Yang’s testimony comes after Arradondo and other officials criticized Chauvin’s actions. Arradondo said Monday the kneeling violated policies around de-escalation, reasonable use of force and the requirement to render aid.
“That action is not de-escalation, and when we talk about the framework of our sanctity of life and when we talk about the principles and values we have, that action goes contrary to what we’re talking about,” Arradondo said.
Minneapolis use-of-force training was to use one-arm or two-arm neck restraints, according to police Inspector Katie Blackwell, who was in charge of the department’s training program last year.
“I don’t know what kind of improvised position this is,” she testified of Chauvin’s kneeling. “That’s not what we train.”
Last week, Chauvin’s direct supervisor said his use of force should have ended earlier, and the department’s top homicide detective testified that kneeling on Floyd’s neck after he had been handcuffed was “totally unnecessary.”
Passenger in Floyd’s vehicle plans to plead Fifth
Morries Hall, who was in the car with Floyd when police first confronted them last May, appeared in court via Zoom on Tuesday prior to the jury arriving to discuss his intention to plead the Fifth if he is called to testify in the trial.
Both the prosecution and defense have called Hall as a witness. Nelson said he planned to ask Hall about his interactions with Floyd that day, their suspected use of a counterfeit bill, whether he gave Floyd drugs and his statements to police about Floyd’s behavior in the vehicle.
Hall’s attorney, Adrienne Cousins, argued that he planned to use the Fifth Amendment’s right against self-incrimination, and she asked Judge Peter Cahill to quash his subpoena to testify. Cousins said she was concerned Hall’s testimony could be used in a drug or third-degree murder charge against him.
“This leaves Mr. Hall potentially incriminating himself into a future prosecution for third-degree murder,” Cousins told Cahill, noting the murder statute allows for prosecution of someone who provided drugs leading to an overdose.
Judge Cahill said that any questions about potential wrongdoing would not be allowed, yet he said he would be open to allowing specific questions about Floyd’s behavior in the vehicle that day. He asked Nelson to draft specific questions on that point, which will be passed to Hall and his attorneys and discussed in a future hearing.
Hall’s testimony could be key for the defense, who has argued that Floyd’s cause of death was a mix of drug use and preexisting health issues.
Hall is currently in custody on unrelated charges of domestic abuse, domestic assault by strangulation and the violation of a protective order.
The emergence of two variants of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) — B.1.1.7 in the United Kingdom and B.1.351 in South Africa — has aroused concern that these variants may escape immunity resulting from either previous infection or vaccination. In an attempt to measure the resistance of these variants to neutralization elicited by infection or vaccination, we generated recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus–based SARS-CoV-2 pseudoviruses containing the spike protein of the Wuhan-1 reference strain (wild-type), the D614G mutation, and the B.1.1.7 and B.1.351 variants. (Details regarding the recombination process are provided in the Supplementary Appendix, available with the full text of this letter at NEJM.org.)
Neutralization of SARS-CoV-2 Pseudoviruses in Convalescent and Vaccinee Serum Samples.
Panel A shows the 50% pseudovirus neutralization titer (pVNT50) in convalescent serum collected from 34 recovered patients approximately 5 months after SARS-CoV-2 infection and in serum collected from 50 vaccinees who had received either the BBIBP-CorV or CoronaVac vaccine 2 to 3 weeks after the second dose against recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus–based SARS-CoV-2 pseudovirus bearing the Wuhan-1 (wild-type) spike protein. Box plots indicate the median and interquartile range (IQR); the whiskers represent 1.5 times the IQR. Panel B shows changes in the reciprocal serum pVNT50 titer in 34 convalescent serum samples against the D614G, B.1.1.7, and B.1.351 variants, as compared with wild-type virus. Panels C and D show changes in the reciprocal pVNT50 titer in serum samples obtained from the 25 recipients of the BBIBP-CorV vaccine and 25 recipients of the CoronaVac vaccine, respectively, against the D614G, B.1.1.7, and B.1.351 variants, as compared with wild-type virus. Factor changes in the geometric mean titer and 95% confidence interval (CI) in the pVNT50 titers, as compared with those for wild-type virus, are shown under the P values. Only P values of less than 0.05 (indicating significance) are shown. Each data point is the average of duplicate assay results. In each panel, the horizontal dashed line represents the lower limit of detection of the assay (titer, <30); this limit was assigned a value of 10 for geometric mean calculations and was considered to be seronegative. In all panels, calculations were performed with the use of the two-tailed Kruskal–Wallis test after adjustment for the false discovery rate.
We next evaluated pseudovirus resistance to neutralization using convalescent serum obtained from 34 patients 5 months after infection with coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) and serum from 50 participants obtained 2 to 3 weeks after receipt of the second dose of inactivated-virus vaccines — BBIBP-CorV (Sinopharm)1 or CoronaVac (Sinovac)2 — which were developed in China (Table S1 in the Supplementary Appendix). We first determined the serum neutralizing-antibody titer against wild-type pseudovirus and observed similar geometric mean titers (GMTs) in serum obtained from convalescent patients and from vaccinees (Figure 1A), which suggested a low antibody response after two-dose inoculation induced by BBIBP-CorV or CoronaVac.1,2 Notably, undetectable neutralization titers were seen in 4 of 34 convalescent serum samples, in 6 of 25 BBIBP-CorV serum samples, and in 4 of 25 CoronaVac serum samples.
We next assessed the neutralizing activity of convalescent serum and vaccinee serum against D614G, B.1.1.7, and B.1.351 variants as compared with wild-type pseudovirus. The convalescent serum was significantly more effective (by a factor of 2.4; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.9 to 3.0) in neutralizing the D614G pseudovirus, had a similar effect to that of the wild-type virus in neutralizing the B.1.1.7 variant, and was significantly less effective (by a factor of 0.5; 95% CI, 0.4 to 0.7) in neutralizing the B.1.351 pseudovirus (Figure 1B). Moreover, 9 of 30 convalescent serum samples showed complete loss of neutralizing activity against B.1.351. For the BBIBP-CorV vaccinee serum samples, although the GMTs of neutralization against the variants were not significantly different from the GMTs against the wild-type virus, 20 serum samples showed complete or partial loss of neutralization against B.1.351 (Figure 1C). For the CoronaVac vaccinee serum samples, we observed a marked decrease in the GMTs in the serum neutralization of B.1.1.7 (by a factor of 0.5; 95% CI, 0.3 to 0.7) and B.1.351 (by a factor of 0.3; 95% CI, 0.2 to 0.4). In addition, most of the serum samples showed complete or partial loss of neutralization against B.1.351 (Figure 1D).
Our findings suggest that B.1.1.7 showed little resistance to the neutralizing activity of convalescent or vaccinee serum, whereas B.1.351 showed more resistance to the neutralization of both convalescent serum (by a factor of 2) and vaccinee serum (by a factor of 2.5 to 3.3) than the wild-type virus. Most of the vaccinee serum samples that were tested lost neutralizing activity, a finding that was consistent with the results of other recent studies of neutralization by convalescent serum or serum obtained from recipients of messenger RNA or BBIBP-CorV vaccines.3-5 Our findings also highlight the importance of sustained viral monitoring and evaluation of the protective efficacy of vaccines in areas where variants are circulating.
Guo-Lin Wang, Ph.D. Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, China
Zhuang-Ye Wang, B.Med. Dezhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Dezhou, China
Li-Jun Duan, B.Sc. Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, China
Qing-Chuan Meng, B.Med. Ningjin County Community Health Service Center, Dezhou, China
Ming-Dong Jiang, M.Med. Jing Cao, M.Med. Dezhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Dezhou, China
Lin Yao, B.Med. Ka-Li Zhu, B.Med. Wu-Chun Cao, Ph.D. Mai-Juan Ma, Ph.D. Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, China [email protected], [email protected]
Supported by a grant (L202038) from the Beijing Natural Science Foundation and a grant (81773494) from the Natural Science Foundation of China, both to Dr. Ma.
Disclosure forms provided by the authors are available with the full text of this letter at NEJM.org.
This letter was published on April 6, 2021, at NEJM.org.
Dr. G.-L. Wang and Mr. Z.-Y. Wang contributed equally to this letter.
1. Xia S, Zhang Y, Wang Y, et al. Safety and immunogenicity of an inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine, BBIBP-CorV: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 1/2 trial. Lancet Infect Dis 2021;21:39–51.
2. Zhang Y, Zeng G, Pan H, et al. Safety, tolerability, and immunogenicity of an inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine in healthy adults aged 18-59 years: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 1/2 clinical trial. Lancet Infect Dis 2021;21:181–192.
3. Huang B, Dai L, Wang H, et al. Neutralization of SARS-CoV-2 VOC 501Y.V2 by human antisera elicited by both inactivated BBIBP-CorV and recombinant dimeric RBD ZF2001 vaccines. February2, 2021 (https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.02.01.429069v1). preprint.
4. Liu Y, Liu J, Xia H, et al. Neutralizing activity of BNT162b2-elicited serum — preliminary report. N Engl J Med. DOI: 10.1056/NEJMc2102017.
Free Full Text
Google Scholar
5. Wang P, Nair MS, Liu L, et al. Antibody resistance of SARS-CoV-2 variants B.1.351 and B.1.1.7. Nature 2021March8 (Epub ahead of print).
The launch of Intel’s Ice Lake Xeon Scalable processors has been in the wings for a number of years. The delays to Intel’s 10nm manufacturing process have given a number of setbacks to all of Intel’s proposed 10nm product lines, especially the high performance Xeon family: trying to craft 660 mm2 of silicon on a process is difficult at the best of times. But Intel has 10nm in a place where it is economically viable to start retailing large Xeon processors, and the official launch today of Intel’s 3rd Generation Xeon Scalable is on the back of over 200,000+ units shipped to major customers to date. The new flagship, the Xeon Platinum 8380, has 40 cores, offers PCIe 4.0, and takes advantage of the IPC gain in Intel’s Sunny Cove processor core. We’re testing it against the best in the market.
Today Intel is launching the full stack of processors under the 3rd Generation Xeon Scalable Ice Lake branding, built upon its 10nm process. These processors, up to 40 cores per socket, are designed solely for single socket and dual socket systems, competing in a market with other x86 and Arm options available. With this new generation, Intel’s offering is aimed to be two-fold: first, the generational uplift compared to 2nd Gen, but also the narrative around selling a solution rather than simply selling a processor.
Intel’s messaging with its new Ice Lake Xeon Scalable (ICX or ICL-SP) steers away from simple single core or multicore performance, and instead is that the unique feature set, such as AVX-512, DLBoost, cryptography acceleration, and security, along with appropriate software optimizations or paired with specialist Intel family products, such as Optane DC Persistent Memory, Agilex FPGAs/SmartNICs, or 800-series Ethernet, offer better performance and better metrics for those actually buying the systems. This angle, Intel believes, puts it in a better position than its competitors that only offer a limited subset of these features, or lack the infrastructure to unite these products under a single easy-to-use brand.
An Wafer of 40-core Ice Lake Xeon 10nm Processors
Nonetheless, the launch of a new generation of products and an expanded portfolio warrants the product to actually be put under test for its raw base performance claims. This generation of Xeon Scalable, Intel’s first on 10nm, uses a newer architecture Sunny Cove core. Benefits of this core, as explained by Intel, start with an extra 20% raw performance increase, enabled through a much wider core with an improved front end and a more execution resources. Outside of the core, memory bandwidth is improved both by increasing memory channels from six to eight, but also new memory prefetch techniques and optimizations that increases bandwidth up to 100% with another +25% efficiency. The mesh interconnect between the cores also uses updated algorithms to feed IO to and from the cores, and Intel is promoting better power management through independent power management agents inside each IP block.
On top of this, Intel is layering on accelerative features, stating that over the raw performance, software optimized for these accelerators will see a better-than-generational uplift. This starts with the basic core layout, especially as it pertains to SIMD commands such as SSSE, AVX, AVX2, and AVX-512: Intel is enabling better cryptography support across its ISA, enabling AES, SHA, GFNI, and other instructions to run simultaneously across all vector instruction sets. AVX-512 has improved frequencies during more complex bit operations for ICX with smarter mapping between instructions and power draw, offering an extra 10% frequency for all 256-bit instructions. On top of this is Intel’s Speed Select Technologies, such as Performance Profile, Base Frequency improvements, Turbo Frequency improvements, and Core Power assistance to ensure peak per-core performance or quality of service during a heavily utilized system depending on customer requirements. Other new features include Software Guard Extensions, enabling enclave sizes up to 512 GB per socket with select models.
Ice Lake’s Sunny Cove Core: Part 2
The Sunny Cove core has actually already been in the market. Intel has made a consumer variant of the core and a server variant of the core. Ice Lake Xeon has the server variant, with bigger caches and slightly different optimization points, but it’s the consumer variant that we have seen and tested in laptop form. Sunny Cove is part of Intel’s Ice Lake notebook processor portfolio, which we reviewed the performance back on August 1st 2019, which 614 days ago. That length of time between enabling a core for notebooks and enabling the same core (with upgrades for servers) on enterprise is almost unheard of, but indicative of Intel’s troubles in manufacturing.
Nonetheless, in our notebook testing of the Ice Lake core, we saw a raw +17-18% performance over the previous generation, however this was at the expense of 15-20% in frequency. Where the product truly excelled was in memory limited scenarios, where a new memory controller provided better-than-generational uplift. When it comes to this generation of Xeon Scalable processors with the new core, as you see in the review, in non-accelerated workloads we get very much a similar story. That being said, consumer hardware is very often TDP limited, especially laptops! With the new Ice Lake Xeon platform, Intel is boosting the peak TDP from 205 W to 270 W, which also gives additional performance advantages.
The Headline Act: Intel’s Xeon Platinum 8380
The head prefect of Intel’s new processor lineup is the Platinum 8380 – a full fat 40 core behemoth. If we put it side by side with the previous generation processors, there some key specifications to note.
Intel Xeon Comparison: 3rd Gen vs 2nd Gen
Peak vs Peak
Xeon Platinum
8380
AnandTech
Xeon Platinum
8280
40 / 80
Cores / Threads
28 / 56
2900 / 3400 / 3000
Base / ST / MT Freq
2700 / 4000 / 3300
50 MB + 60 MB
L2 + L3 Cache
28 MB + 38.5 MB
270 W
TDP
205 W
PCIe 4.0 x64
PCIe
PCIe 3.0 x48
8 x DDR4-3200
DRAM Support
6 x DDR4-2933
4 TB
DRAM Capacity
1 TB
200-series
Optane
100-series
4 TB Optane
+ 2 TB DRAM
Optane Capacity
Per Socket
1 TB DDR4-2666
+ 1.5 TB
512 GB
SGX Enclave
None
1P, 2P
Socket Support
1P, 2P, 4P, 8P
3 x 11.2 GT/s
UPI Links
3 x 10.4 GT/s
$8099
Price (1ku)
$10099*
6258R, 2P Variant
is only $3950
Between these processors, the new flagship has a number of positives:
+43% more cores (40 vs 28),
nearly double the cache,
+33% more PCIe lanes (64 vs 48),
2x the PCIe bandwidth (PCIe 4.0 vs PCIe 3.0)
4x the memory support (4 TB vs 1 TB)
SGX Enclave support
+7% higher socket-to-socket bandwidth
Support for DDR4-3200 Optane DCPMM 200-series
Price is down 20%… or up 100% if you compare to 6258R
Though we should perhaps highlight some of the negatives:
TDP is up +32% (270 W vs 205 W)
ST Frequency is down (3400 MHz vs 4000 MHz)
MT Frequency is down (3000 MHz vs 3300 MHz)
If we combine the specification sheet cores and all-core (MT) frequency, Ice Lake actually has about the same efficiency here as the previous generation. Modern high-performance processors often operate well outside the peak efficiency window, however Ice Lake being at a lower frequency would usually suggest that Ice Lake is having to operate closer to the peak efficiency point to stay within a suitable socket TDP than previous generations. This is similar to what we saw in the laptop space.
Features across all Ice Lake Xeon Scalable processors
We’ll dive into the different processors over on the next page, however it is worth noting some of the key features that will apply to all of Intel’s new ICL-SP family. Across the ~40 new processors, including all the media focused parts, the network focused processors, and all the individual optimizations used, all of the processors will have the following:
All Ice Lake Xeons will support eight channels of DDR4-3200 at 2DPC
All Ice Lake Xeons will support 4 TB of DRAM per socket
All Ice Lake Xeons will support SGX Enclaves (size will vary)
All Ice Lake Xeons will support 64x PCIe 4.0 lanes
All Ice Lake Xeons will support Three UPI links at 11.2 GT/s
All Silver/Gold/Platinum Xeons will support 200-series Optane DC Persistent Memory
In the past, Intel has often productized some of these features at will sell the ones that are more capable at a higher cost. This segmentation is often borne from a lack of competition in the market. This time around however, Intel has seen fit to unify some of its segmentation for consistency. The key one in my mind is memory support: at the start of the Xeon Scalable family, Intel started to charge extra for high-capacity memory models. But in light of the competition now offering 4 TB/socket at no extra cost, it would appear that Intel has decided to unify the stack with one memory support option.
Intel 3rd Generation Xeon Scalable: New Socket, New Motherboards
Ice Lake Xeons, now with eight memory channels rather than six, will require a new socket and new motherboards. Ice Lake comes with 4189 pins, and requires an LGA4189-4 ‘Whitley’ motherboard. This is different to the LGA4189-5 ‘Cedar Island’ in use for Cooper Lake, and the two are not interoperable, however they do share a power profile.
This actually brings us onto a point about Intel’s portfolio. Technically 10nm Ice Lake is not the only member of the 3rd Gen Xeon Scalable family – Intel has seen fit to bundle both 14nm Cooper Lake and 10nm Ice Lake under the same heading. Intel is separating the two by stating that Cooper Lake is focused at several specific high volume customers looking to deploy quad-socket and eight-socket systems with specific AI workloads. By comparison, Ice Lake is for the mass market, and limited to two socket systems.
Ice Lake and Cooper Lake both have the ‘3’ in the processor name indicating third generation. Users can tell which ones are Cooper Lake because they end in either H or HL – Ice Lake processors (as we’ll see on the next page) never have H or HL. Most Cooper Lake processors are Platinum models anyway, with a few Xeon Gold. As we go through this review, we’ll focus solely on Ice Lake, given that this is the platform Intel is selling to the mainstream.
This Review
In the lead up to this launch today, Intel provided us with a 2U system featuring two of the top models of Ice Lake Xeon: we have dual 40 core Xeon Platinum 8380s! At the same time, we have also spent time a dual Xeon Gold 6330 system from Supermicro, which has two 28-core processors, and acts as a good comparison to the previous generation Xeon Platinum 8280.
Our review today will cover the processor stack, our benchmarks, power analysis, memory analysis, and some initial conclusions.
“Jeopardy!” guest host Aaron Rodgers appeared to be caught off guard Monday after a contestant took the opportunity to dredge up a painful memory from the Green Bay Packers quarterback’s past.
In the “Final Jeopardy” round, contestant Scott Shewfelt didn’t answer the last clue about daytime television personalities.
Instead, he asked Rodgers about a controversial field goal during last season’s NFC Championship game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, which ultimately ended the Packers’ season — and their ticket to the Super Bowl.
“Who wanted to kick that field goal?” Shewfelt wrote.
Scott Shewfelt decided it was time to troll the star quarterback.NBC
Rodgers initially appeared stunned before momentarily looking down with a smile plastered on his face.
“That is a great question,” he said as he laughed. “Should be correct, but unfortunately for this game today, that’s incorrect.”
Shewfelt’s cheeky response was a not-so-subtle jab at Green Bay coach Matt LaFleur, who has come under heavy scrutiny ever since NFC title game on Jan. 24.
With the Packers trailing 31-23 and a little more than two minutes left in the fourth quarter, Green Bay had the ball fourth-and-goal from the 8.
But instead of allowing sure-fire Hall of Fame quarterback Rodgers and his teammates to try for a potential tying touchdown, LaFleur opted for a field goal in hopes Green Bay’s defense could get the ball back.
Instead, Tom Brady’s Bucs picked up two first downs and ran out the clock for a 31-26 victory. Tampa Bay went on to win the Super Bowl two weeks later.
Rodgers made his debut on Monday as the show’s host. He is expected to host for the next two weeks, according to the “Jeopardy!” website.
A series of guest hosts, including award-winning journalists and celebrities, were announced after longtime “Jeopardy!” host Alex Trebek died late last year from cancer.
Among the expected guest hosts are CNN anchor Anderson Cooper and NBC’s “TODAY” show co-host Savannah Guthrie.
Wilson Wong
Wilson Wong is a breaking news reporter with NBC News.
The Philippines has accused China of aggressively colonizing the South China Sea, as fears of a major conflict between the two countries grow.
It comes as a U.S. carrier strike group, led by the USS Theodore Roosevelt, returned to the area for the second time in less than two months.
Over the last couple of weeks, around 220 Chinese paramilitary ships, manned by maritime militias, have “swarmed” around a disputed reef in the South China Sea, with the Philippines warning that the “incursions” could “trigger unwanted hostilities” — the toughest remarks yet from Manila.
US AIRCRAFT CARRIERS TRAIN IN SOUTH CHINA SEA AMID TENSIONS EARLY IN BIDEN ADMINISTRATION
China maintains that the vessels are simply fishing boats, sheltering in the area due to poor sea conditions — but they have done no fishing and the weather has been good. They also switch on powerful lights at night. The Philippines’ government says the vessels are part of China’s maritime militia and manned by reservists operating under the orders of the Coast Guard and People’s Liberation Army (PLA).
The boats are moored at the Whitsun Reef within Manila’s 200-mile exclusive economic zone, and there are fears the Chinese ships may try to claim the reefs. The Philippine defense minister has warned that Beijing is also planning to occupy and assert its control over more disputed territory.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte expressed concern to China’s ambassador about Chinese vessels massing in the South China Sea, and Vietnam also urged Beijing to respect its maritime sovereignty. On Tuesday, Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi expressed strong concerns to his Chinese counterpart about the incursions.
The reef is part of the Spratly Islands, one of the main disputed archipelagos in the South China Sea, some 200 miles west of the Philippine province of Palawan. The Philippines says the offshore region is part of its territory, but it is claimed entirely or in part by China, Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam.
An international tribunal invalidated China’s claim to 90% of the South China Sea in 2016, but Beijing does not recognize the ruling. China has built islands in the disputed waters in recent years, putting airstrips on some of them. Taiwan, Malaysia, Vietnam, the Philippines and Brunei all claim parts of the sea.
INCOMING BIDEN SECRETARY OF STATE: TRUMP RIGHT TO TAKE ‘TOUGHER STANCE’ ON CHINA
Meanwhile, the USS Theodore Roosevelt has also sailed into the South China Sea to conduct “routine operations,” marking the second time it has shown up in the disputed waters in less than two months. The carrier group entered the South China Sea on April 4. The unit will conduct various exercises while in the area, ranging from anti-submarine drills to “coordinated tactical training.”
At the same time, the first-ever Chinese aircraft carrier group has started exercises near Taiwan and has said such drills will become regular. China’s Navy said the carrier group, lead by the Liaoning — the country’s first aircraft carrier put into active service — was carrying out “routine” drills in the waters near Taiwan.
The aim is to “enhance its capability to safeguard national sovereignty, safety and development interests,” it said. “Similar exercises will be conducted on a regular basis in the future,” the Chinese Navy added, without elaborating.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
China’s statement follows Taiwan’s Defense Ministry reporting of a new incursion by China’s Air Force into the island’s air defense identification zone on Monday. It said it had a “full grasp” of the situation in the air and at sea surrounding Taiwan and that it was “appropriately handling” the matter.
Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen, meanwhile, is overseeing a revamp of the island’s military, rolling out new offensive equipment such as “carrier killer” stealth corvettes in an attempt to deter any Chinese aggression.
