According to Hardmac, the next Mac Pro (which really needs an architecture refresh) will carry a 32nm, six-core "Gulftown" processor with 12MB of L3 cache known as the Core i7-980X—apparently it won't be i9-branded. But the really nuts news? The high end, double power Mac Pro could have a whopping 12 cores inside. [Hardmac via AppleInsider]
DISCUSSION
This seems likely and unsurprising. They are just using the same basic formula with the next generation of Intel processor. Since the I9 is 6 core then they just use 2 chips to get 12 cores. I expect we'll be seeing a dozen gaming machines with that setup next year. If it is actually a I7 instead of I9 then that's a 3 chip setup which is a little weird. What would surprise me is if they actually decide to put in some real graphics hardware for a change.