Quad-core Nehalem, codenamed Bloomfield and now branded as Core i7, has 8MB of L3 cache. Future versions of this high-end part might end up with more cache and more cores. Eight is the number to put your money on.

This shows a glimpse into the future and you can expect eight cores, and let’s speculate 16MB of L3 memory. We can see a future of such a CPU for a future Skulltrail platform or even more in server market that would definitely benefit from such a part. Just imagine the sound of sixteen cores from two sockets and let's say 16MB of L3 cache.

Intel is kind of covered for now with its six-core CPU in the server market, but you can bet that an eight-core version based on Nehalem is on the way. Nehalem is scalable when it comes to design and you will see designs in two, four, and eventually eight-core design. Doesn’t it sound cool?