{
 "title": "Server CPU Core Count Trend: 2026 Density and Licensing",
 "url": "https://www.servnetuk.com/research/server-cpu-core-count-study-2026",
 "publisher": "Servnet Research",
 "license": "CC BY 4.0 — free to reuse with attribution",
 "collected": "2026-08-26",
 "records": [
  {
   "metric": "AMD EPYC 9965 core count",
   "value": "192 cores per socket",
   "source": "AMD"
  },
  {
   "metric": "Intel Xeon 6E Sierra Forest comparison core count",
   "value": "144 cores per processor",
   "source": "AMD"
  },
  {
   "metric": "Windows Server physical-core minimum per processor",
   "value": "8 core licenses per physical processor",
   "source": "Licensing School"
  },
  {
   "metric": "Windows Server physical-core minimum per server",
   "value": "16 core licenses per server",
   "source": "Licensing School"
  },
  {
   "metric": "VMware minimum cores per CPU socket",
   "value": "16 cores per CPU socket",
   "source": "Ultima"
  },
  {
   "metric": "VMware minimum cores per contract",
   "value": "72 cores per contract",
   "source": "Ultima"
  },
  {
   "metric": "Indicative VMware Cloud Foundation price",
   "value": "about US$400 per core per year",
   "source": "C4C Group"
  },
  {
   "metric": "Indicative vSphere Foundation price",
   "value": "about US$155 per core per year",
   "source": "C4C Group"
  },
  {
   "metric": "Indicative vSphere Standard price",
   "value": "about US$55 per core per year",
   "source": "C4C Group"
  },
  {
   "metric": "SQL Server licensing minimum per processor",
   "value": "4 cores per processor",
   "source": "Servnet UK"
  },
  {
   "metric": "SQL Server licensing minimum per VM",
   "value": "4 cores per VM",
   "source": "Servnet UK"
  },
  {
   "metric": "Example Windows Server 2025 licensing count for a 2-socket 24-core-per-socket server",
   "value": "48 core licences",
   "source": "Servnet UK"
  }
 ]
}