A motherlode of information regarding AMD's next-generation Zen 4, Zen 4C, Zen 5 and Zen 6 architectures has been shared by Moore's Law is Dead.
AMD Next-Gen Zen 4, Zen 4C, Zen 5, Zen 6 Core Architectures Detailed: Cores, Clocks & IPC Going Up Each Gen!
The information revealed by MLID isn't confirmed but keeping his recent track record in mind, most of his reported data can end up being close to the real thing. In the latest video, MLID has shared details regarding future AMD Zen cores which include Zen 4, Zen 4C, Zen 5, & Zen 6. We know most of the products coming out on Zen 4 and Zen 4C so we will just give you a quick over view of those but there are also some key products within the Zen 5 and Zen 6 lineup which are being shared.
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AMD 5nm Zen 4 Core Architecture
The AMD Zen 4 core architecture is the direct replacement for the existing Zen 3 which powers all of the current server, desktop, and mobile segments. It is said that Zen 4 will mostly be an overhaul of the Zen 3 core with bumped-up cache and higher clocks. Zen 4 is expected to bring an IPC uplift between 15-24%, a single-threaded performance increase between 28-37%, and a similar or higher multi-threaded performance increase over the Zen 3 cores. One major aspect of the Zen 4 core is going to be its much higher clock speeds. Prototypes and samples have already appeared with up to 5.2 GHz clock speeds so that will play a major role in the overall performance improvement over Zen 3. The clock speeds are expected to get an 8-14% boost (sustained) over Zen 3 which is what we are also seeing in the recent leaks.
A preview of various things to expect from the AMD Zen 4 and Zen 4C core architecture. (Image Credits: Moore's Law is Dead)
Other improvements include the aforementioned doubling of the L2 cache which has been seen in recent EPYC Genoa sample listings while retaining the same L3 cache as Zen 3. Zen 4 will also be a huge improvement in the I/O field with PCIe 5.0, DDR5, LPDDR5 support, and more. Zen 4's AVX-512 performance is also touted as being comparable to Ice Lake-X at the same thread/clocks and 50% better than Zen 3 at the same clocks. Summing it all up, Zen 4 will offer:
As for the products, AMD's Zen 4 lineup will include:
AMD 5nm Zen 4C Core Architecture
The follow-up to Zen 4 will be known as Zen 4C but it won't be a true successor. In fact, Zen 4C is said to be a stop-gap solution for specific customers and those are mostly in the data center CPU segment. AMD has already confirmed Bergamo to be one of the products to utilize Zen 4C cores which are designed for compute density and offer up to 128 core count versus the 96 on Genoa with the standard Zen 4 cores. Both Zen 4 and Zen 4C products will be fabricated on TSMC's 5nm process node.
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For EPYC Bergamo, the chip is said to feature hyperthreading support so you get 128 cores and 256 threads. It will retain SP5 'LGA 6096' socket compatibility with 12-channel memory support and the latest SDCI (Smart Data Cache Injection) and SDXI (Smart Data Acceleration Interface) engines that are rumored for Genoa. Both are accelerators infused within the IOD with the former said to offer increased cache hits from attached devices to an optimal CCX in the latency-sensitive app while the latter will be responsible for directly copying/moving data between devices without using the Zen 4 cores. So it looks like the only Zen 4C product will be:
AMD Zen 5 Core Architecture
Moving into Zen 5, the core architecture is said to be as big of a leap as Zen 2 and will arrive after 11-15 months. Though there are certain implications due to which that may not happen I will be getting to in a bit. The Zen 5 core architecture is said to be an architectural redesign, bringing a higher IPC increase than Zen 4 (vs Zen 3) and additional two changes include the data fabric (IFC) & cache design being completely re-organlzed. Clock speeds are said to remain stagnant or see little improvement with the chips featuring multiple accelerators and higher thread counts for consumer parts. And no, SMT4 isn't happening. It's still 2-Way SMT but the core count per chiplet is what's going to go up.
An early look into AMD's future Zen 5 and Zen 6 core architectures. (Image Credits: Moore's Law is Dead)Now coming to the process node, the Zen 5 cores is expected to either be fabricated on the TSMC N3 or N4P node. AMD can go both routes but given recent reports, a 2024-2025 launch for most of the product lineup is very much expected. Certain products may ship early such as EPYC Turin which is said to aim at a Q4 2023 sampling timeframe but besides that, the vast majority of products should start shipping by Q1 or even Q2 2024. With that said, some of the products expected on the Zen 5 core architecture will include:
AMD Zen 6 Core Architecture
Now moving beyond Zen 5 is where we may or may no longer see the use of Zen branding by AMD for its core architecture. It's recent speculation but Zen 5's replacement isn't expected to arrive by 2025 so there's still some time and if there's a change, AMD will definitely update its roadmap prior to updating its consumers on what's coming next. With that said, little is known about Zen 6 except that it is rumored to launch by 2025 and will once again come with higher cores, clocks, new cache designs, accelerators, and whatnot. Of course, this design can change a lot from now till its launch so let's move on to the next bit.
MLID states that in 2025 and beyond, AMD will refocus its server and laptop lineups into 'Premium' brands. This will be used to push a revigorated Intel in the server and NVIDIA in the HPC/AI and the mobile segment. How this plays out, we still have at least three years to wait and see.
AMD CPU Roadmap (2017-2022)
| Year | 2024 | 2023 | 2021-2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Architecture | Zen (4) / Zen (5) | Zen (4) / Zen (4C) | Zen (4) / Zen 3 (+) | Zen (3) / Zen 3 (+) | Zen (3) / Zen 2 | Zen (2) / Zen+ | Zen (1) / Zen+ | Zen (1) |
| Process Node | 5nm / 3nm? | 5nm | 5nm / 6nm | 7nm | 7nm | 7nm | 14nm / 12nm | 14nm |
| Server | EPYC Turin | EPYC Bergamo | EPYC 'Genoa' | EPYC 'Milan' | EPYC 'Rome' | EPYC 'Rome' | EPYC 'Naples' | EPYC 'Naples' |
| Max Server Cores / Threads | 256/512 | 128/256 | 96/192 | 64/128 | 64/128 | 64/128 | 32/64 | 32/64 |
| High End Desktop | Ryzen Threadripper 8000 Series | Ryzen Threadripper 7000 Series | Ryzen Threadripper 6000 Series (TBD) | Ryzen Threadripper 5000 Series (Chagall) | Ryzen Threadripper 3000 Series (Castle Peak) | Ryzen Threadripper 3000 Series (Castle Peak) | Ryzen Threadripper 2000 Series (Coflax) | Ryzen Threadripper 1000 Series (White Haven) |
| Ryzen Family | Ryzen 8000 Series | Ryzen 7000 Series | Ryzen 6000 Series | Ryzen 5000 Series | Ryzen 4000/5000 Series | Ryzen 3000 Series | Ryzen 2000 Series | Ryzen 1000 Series |
| Max HEDT Cores / Threads | TBD | TBD | TBD | 64/128 | 64/128 | 64/128 | 32/64 | 16/32 |
| Mainstream Desktop | Ryzen 8000 Series (Granite Ridge) | TBD | Ryzen 7000 Series (Raphael) | Ryzen 5000 Series (Vermeer-X) | Ryzen 5000 Series (Vermeer) | Ryzen 3000 Series (Matisse) | Ryzen 2000 Series (Pinnacle Ridge) | Ryzen 1000 Series (Summit Ridge) |
| Max Mainstream Cores / Threads | TBD | TBD | 16/32 | 16/32 | 16/32 | 16/32 | 8/16 | 8/16 |
| Budget APU | Ryzen 8000 (Strix Point Zen 5) | Ryzen 7000 Series (Phoenix Zen 4) | Ryzen 6000 Series (Rembrandt Zen 3+) | Ryzen 5000 Series (Cezanne Zen 3) | Ryzen 4000 Series (Renoir Zen 2) | Ryzen 3000 Series (Picasso Zen+) | Ryzen 2000 Series (Raven Ridge) | N/A |
