Intel Xeon Platinum 8461V 40c/80t 2.2GHz-3.7GHz 270W (PK8071305073201)

Intel Xeon Platinum 8461V – Balanced Sapphire Rapids CPU for Scalable Enterprise Compute and Multi-Accelerator Workloads

The Intel Xeon Platinum 8461V is a 40-core, 80-thread Sapphire Rapids processor engineered for environments where predictable multi-socket scaling, stable memory throughput and broad accelerator support matter more than raw core count alone. Positioned between the mid-range Platinum models and the high-density 8468/8470 line, the 8461V offers a well-measured performance profile suited for enterprise compute clusters, virtualization frameworks and mixed HPC–AI workloads.

A key strength of the 8461V is its balance between base frequency (2.2 GHz) and thermal design, which maintains long-duration performance under sustained parallel workloads. Many datacenter operators value this steadiness over peak turbo frequencies, especially in multi-node configurations where thermal consistency and predictable CPU behavior reduce overhead for orchestration systems such as Kubernetes, OpenShift and VMware vSphere.

The processor integrates the full Sapphire Rapids accelerator suite. Intel AMX significantly improves throughput for matrix-heavy operations—from deep learning inference pipelines to dynamic programming algorithms used in scientific computing. Intel IAA accelerates database queries, compression and analytic indexing, while Intel DSA reduces CPU load in memory-intensive operations, improving efficiency when handling large in-memory datasets, distributed storage layers or object storage gateways.

Memory subsystem performance is another defining characteristic of the 8461V. With eight channels of DDR5 up to 4400 MT/s, the platform demonstrates solid bandwidth scaling, supporting in-memory analytics engines, complex simulation workloads and high-throughput virtualization clusters. The architecture is optimized for stable NUMA behavior, an essential requirement for distributed SQL platforms, financial modeling systems and enterprise ERP installations.

On the I/O side, the 8461V features 80 lanes of PCIe 5.0, enabling extensive configurability for GPU accelerators, high-speed NVMe fabrics and FPGA-based offload engines. This I/O capacity ensures future-proof system design, allowing organizations to expand compute density or integrate AI accelerators without rearchitecting their infrastructure.

Compared with denser processors like the 8468V or 8470N, the 8461V prioritizes efficiency, consistency and long-term operational stability. It performs particularly well in workloads dependent on memory latency and accelerator offloading rather than raw core count. As a result, it is widely applicable across enterprise domains—data warehousing clusters, cloud orchestration nodes, AI inference servers, large-scale virtualization pools and scientific computing environments that balance compute and memory demands.

With support for dual-socket configurations, the 8461V scales effectively in HPC clusters and multi-node enterprise deployments. Consistent inter-socket bandwidth ensures minimal latency overhead, improving performance for distributed workloads, graph processing systems and large numerical simulations.

In summary, the Intel Xeon Platinum 8461V offers a finely tuned blend of frequency, efficiency and acceleration capabilities. It is an excellent fit for modern datacenters that require predictable multi-socket performance, strong memory throughput and flexible I/O expansion in a balanced, enterprise-ready CPU.