875946-B21 HPE BL460C Gen10 Intel Xeon-Gold 6138 20-core 2.0GHz L3 Processor

Xeon Gold 6138 Overview

The Intel Xeon‑Gold 6138 20‑core 2.0 GHz processor, embodied in the HPE 875946‑B21 module for the BL460C Gen10 blade server, delivers a remarkable balance of multi‑threaded throughput and energy‑efficient performance. This processor is fabricated on the 14 nm process node and boasts 27.5 MB of L3 cache, facilitating sustained high‑volume data processing. At a 120 W TDP, the Xeon‑Gold 6138 is optimized to provide robust compute capability while maintaining manageable thermal output for densely packed blade server enclosures.

Architecture and Core Configuration

The architecture of the Intel Xeon‑Gold 6138 encompasses 20 physical cores, each operating at a base clock of 2.0 GHz. Complemented by Intel Hyper‑Threading Technology, it supports up to 40 simultaneous threads. The 27.5 MB shared L3 cache ensures that data-intensive workloads benefit from low‑latency access to critical instructions and datasets. The 10.4 GT/s Ultra Path Interconnect (UPI) facilitates high‑bandwidth, low‑latency communication between processors, enabling efficient scaling in multi‑processor deployments within the HPE BL460C Gen10 environment.

14 nm Process Efficiency

The utilization of the 14 nm process technology presents a key advantage in the Xeon‑Gold 6138’s design by enabling higher transistor density, improved power efficiency, and enhanced thermal characteristics. This fabrication node underpins the processor’s ability to deliver enterprise‑grade performance within the 120 W thermal envelope. For organizations deploying BL460C Gen10 blade servers in data centers, this efficiency contributes to reduced cooling requirements and lower overall infrastructure costs.

Cache Behavior and Memory Subsystem

The expansive L3 cache of 27.5 MB, organized to serve all cores, plays a critical role in minimizing memory access latency, especially for multi‑threaded applications and virtualization workloads. Its architecture ensures that frequently accessed data remains quickly reachable. When paired with DDR4 memory subsystems in the BL460C Gen10 chassis, the Xeon‑Gold 6138’s cache hierarchy helps deliver high sustained memory bandwidth and optimized instruction throughput across virtualization, database, and analytics workloads.

Integration

The HPE 875946‑B21 processor module is engineered to seamlessly integrate into the ProLiant BL460C Gen10 blade server. The blade’s architecture includes an FCLGA3647 socket, designed for Intel’s Scalable Processor family, ensuring reliable mechanical and electrical compatibility. The BL460C Gen10 chassis supports redundant power and cooling, and when deployed in HPE’s c7000 or c3000 enclosures, allows for dense server configurations consolidated within minimal data‑center footprints.

Scalability Within Enclosures

When multiple BL460C Gen10 blades are installed in a shared enclosure, the Xeon‑Gold 6138’s performance scales linearly for workloads that can exploit distributed processing. The high UPI speed facilitates fast inter‑processor coherency and data transfer, critical for clustered compute, in‑memory databases, and virtualization clusters. The synergy between the enclosure’s shared networking and storage modules and the processor’s capabilities ensures maximum throughput while conserving rack space.

Enterprise‑Grade Reliability and Serviceability

The HPE BL460C Gen10 with the Xeon‑Gold 6138 offers enterprise‑level reliability features such as HPE iLO management, predictive failure analysis, and service hot‑plug capabilities. The processor’s thermal profile of 120 W is supported by blade‑level heatsinking and chassis airflow management, maintaining optimal operating temperatures even under prolonged heavy loading. Maintenance or upgrades can be performed with minimal disruption, preserving high availability in critical environments.

Workload Suitability and Use Cases

The combination of 20 cores, 40 threads, and generous cache capac­ity positions the Xeon‑Gold 6138 as an ideal choice for a variety of demanding enterprise workloads. Virtualized environments benefit from the thread density and fast UPI for VM‑to‑host communication. Database engines and in‑memory analytics workloads gain from the large L3 cache and high memory throughput. HPC or simulation tasks also leverage the multicore architecture paired with inter‑processor coherence facilitated by UPI, achieving high parallel compute performance.

Virtualization and Cloud Infrastructure

When deployed in HPE BL460C Gen10 blades, the Xeon‑Gold 6138 powers virtualization stacks such as VMware, Hyper‑V, or KVM. The combination of numerous cores and cache, along with efficient UPI links, ensures low latency between virtual machines and quick memory access. Scalable deployments across multiple blades create dense virtual server farms with reduced per‑VM overhead, enabling cloud‑like resource pooling and efficient utilization in enterprise private clouds.

In‑Memory Database and Analytics

For in‑memory databases, real‑time analytics, and big‑data workloads, the large L3 cache ensures that critical data sets remain close to processor cores, significantly improving access times. The BL460C Gen10’s memory channel architecture, coupled with the Xeon‑Gold 6138’s multiple cores, accelerates data‑intensive operations such as OLAP queries, real‑time reporting, and stream processing. The thermal and power efficiency ensure that performance does not come at the cost of excessive energy consumption.

High‑Performance Computing (HPC)

In HPC deployments where compute density and inter‑node performance are paramount, the blade server design of the BL460C Gen10 combined with the Xeon‑Gold 6138’s robust core count and UPI interconnect delivers strong performance per watt. Enclosures with multiple processors can be linked through high‑speed networking fabrics, while the blade form‑factor maximizes rack density. Research simulations, engineering modeling, and parallel codebases benefit from the balanced compute, cache, and I/O pathways intrinsic to this platform.

Compatibility

The FCLGA3647 socket compatibility ensures that the BL460C Gen10 platform can accommodate newer or alternate processors within Intel’s Scalable family with minimal retrofit. This enhances future‑proofing by allowing in‑place upgrades to more recent Xeon‑Gold or Xeon‑Platinum SKUs as business needs evolve. HPE’s management tools like iLO 5 afford remote monitoring, firmware upgrades, and configuration management, reducing time‑to‑service and increasing operational agility.

Upgrade Paths and Longevity

As workloads evolve, the scalar architecture of the Xeon‑Gold series permits upgrades to higher‑core or higher‑frequency processors within the same socket. This investment protection ensures that the BL460C Gen10 blades remain relevant and scalable in case of escalating compute demands. The common thermal envelope and electric interface preserve compatibility, minimizing deployment disruption.