Overview
- SPEC CPU 2026 is now available with first vendor-posted scores that span tiny boards like Raspberry Pi 5 up to large multi-socket servers.
- The update expands to 52 tests with more than twice the code to reflect current server and scientific software and to run portably across many systems.
- A new Rolling‑Round‑Robin Rate method standardizes how different programs run together to measure multicore throughput in a fair, repeatable way.
- SPEC set a results calendar that holds new postings until June 4, requires pairing any CPU 2017 scores with CPU 2026 by August 11, and retires CPU 2017 on November 3.
- A fresh characterization study finds CPU 2026 raises instruction counts and memory use versus 2017, increases instruction‑cache pressure, and allows compact 4–5 test subsets that preserve up to 99.9% of full-suite behavior.