AMD has unveiled a timeline for releasing new CPU and GPU architectures over the next two years. This includes transitions to more advanced production nodes and covers parts of laptops, desktops, and servers (both CPU and GPU).
The new Ryzen 7000 series will be based on the upcoming Zen 4 architecture. This promises an improvement of more than 15% in single-threaded performance and an 8-10% increase in instructions per clock (IPC). Performance per Watt will see “significant generational” improvements (25% or more) and more memory bandwidth will increase with the move to DDR5.
The first desktop and server parts made with a 5nm process will be launched later this year. The laptop chips, however, will be manufactured on TSMC’s 4nm node. The next Phoenix Point will feature Zen 4 CPU cores and RDNA 3 GPU cores (more on that in a second).
Phoenix Point is expected to come out next year. Strix Point will follow, using Zen 5 and RDNA 3+ cores and will be built on an advanced node yet to be specified.
Zen 5 is described as a “completely new microarchitecture”, but the details are scarce. The company revealed that these processors will be manufactured on both 4nm and 3nm processes. TSMC’s 4nm node is just an optimized version of the 5nm node, but the 3nm node is completely different. The first Zen 5 chips are expected in 2024, so we will have to wait for more concrete details.
As for AMD’s GPU products, the next major architecture, RDNA 3, will be manufactured on a 5nm process and will be the first to use a chiplet design (similar to CPUs). The RDNA 2 parts were manufactured on 7nm and 6nm, so the new GPUs will have the benefit of a new node.
This will be coupled with an optimized graphics pipeline, improved compute units and the second generation of Infinity Cache on-die. Overall, AMD expects to see RDNA 3’s performance per watt improve by at least 50% over RDNA 2.
There will be an RDNA 3+ move for some products, but the next major update will come with RDNA 4, expected in 2024. AMD was stingy with details, all we know is that the new GPU architecture promises further improvements in performance and efficiency. and an even smaller production node.
AMD’s Financial Analyst Day was held yesterday, which is what led to this series of announcements. But these are just the general traits: The company has yet to reveal how it intends to package these new Zen and RDNA parts into consumer and business products.
Take Zen 4 for example. There will be a mix of 5nm and 4nm parts. Some of the desktop and server chips will be equipped with 3D V-cache (a huge additional layer of cache stacked on top of the CPU chiplets), others will use the Zen 4c variant. This is a scaled-down version of Zen 4 that allows multiple cores to fit in a single socket: the “Bergamo” (4c) design will offer up to 128 cores while the standard “Genoa” (4) design will reach a maximum of 96 cores.
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