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While Advanced Micro Devices’ next-generation micro-architecture known as “Zen” looks very impressive on paper, it will not hit the market any time soon. In fact, AMD plans to release the first microprocessors featuring the new cores only in late 2016, according to a document published by a web-site.
AMD’s first “Zen”-based central processing units code-named “Summit Ridge” will only become available in October, 2016, according to AMD 2016 desktop platform schedule* published by BenchLife. The confidential document was presented to AMD’s partners on the 27th of March, 2015, and may contain certain inaccuracies. For example, the document calls AMD’s forthcoming desktop socket as “FM3”, whereas AMD’s official name revealed in May is “AM4”.
If the schedule is correct and up-to-date, then AMD is finalizing design of its “Summit Ridge” chip right now and still does not have fully-functional samples of the processor.
AMD expects to send the first engineering samples (ES) of the “Summit Ridge” central processing units to its partners in April, 2016. Engineering samples are usually fully-functional A1 revision chips that may run at lower clock-rates than the final products.
The A2 production candidate (PC) “Summit Ridge” processors that run at designated clock-rates and support all features are expected to ship to AMD’s partners in July, 2016. By September, 2016, AMD will ship A2 revision production ready (PR) processors with all the markings on them. The first central processing units featuring “Zen” cores will be introduced in October, 2016.
Nowadays high-volume production of chips starts between nine and twelve months after the initial tape-out. The A2 revision is usually the first commercial version of the chip for AMD. If AMD starts to produce its “Summit Ridge” chips in volume in July, 2016, it means that the company is finalizing its design right now and will tape the chip out in the coming weeks.
Based on unofficial information, AMD’s “Summit Ridge” processor has up to eight “Zen” cores with 512KB level two cache per core, up to 16MB of unified level-three cache, a dual-channel DDR4 memory controller, integrated PCI Express 3.0 x16 bus to connect to graphics cards, built-in PCIe 3.0 x4 port with NVMe and SATA support to connect storage devices and other input/output technologies. The CPUs are expected to be made using 14nm FinFET process technology (14LPP) at GlobalFoundries.
The authenticity of the document could not be verified, even though it resembles typical AMD’s documents for its partners and contains a number of facts revealed before or after its alleged publication date.
AMD did not comment on the news-story.
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KitGuru Says: As expected, AMD’s “Zen”-based processors will not hit the market during the “back-to-school” season next year and will only be available for holidays. If the chips are significantly better than microprocessors offered by Intel Corp. in the second half of 2016, then AMD will sell a lot of them to enthusiasts, just like it did in 2003, when it released the Athlon 64 3200+ and the Athlon 64 FX-51. However, it also means that high-volume availability of “Summit Ridge” processors will only occur in 2017.
*Note: The image originally published by BenchLife has been altered for better viewing experience.
I guess Zen+ in mid to late 2017 then?
No surprice if ..
Zen hit market shelves in early 2017 and zen+ in 2018 …..we all know how well amd chase its finish line….
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if it takes them more than a year to get zen out, it wont matter anymore by then, they will have lost any chance of catching up to intel, just like any chance of being relevant in the cpu/apu market, they need the new pars at the very least to start shipping first quarter next year or they will have lost any chances zen had
how have they lost there chance on catching up? they could make a new architecture that performs 100x better than they thought it would and who would be behind than? maybe it preforms worse than they saying or maybe it could be alot better than anyone thought we just have to wait and see amd does have great gpu’s to fall back on while they design a new cpu so they have time.. if they never had that cock suck Rory reads they would be still be on pair with intel but no his like we are going to make shit chips and abandon high end that was the biggest mistake ever… but knowing amd they have really smart people they been really quite normally when amd is quite there going to pull a monster out there ass 😛
1) As usual Kitguru has NO clue what they are talking about.
2) AMD will be producing MANY different chips using ZEN cores throughout 2016.
3) The FIRST ZEN chips will be for Servers and Desktop, and will start selling in Q1 2016!
4) Within a few months, of the launch of ZEN for servers and Desktop, there will be APUs for laptops.
5) Sometime in late (Q3 possibly) 2016, AMD will launch ZEN core APUs with High Bandwidth Memory (HBM)!
6) APUs with HBM will further accelerate AMD’s PC market share gains from Intel into 2017.
Remember: Intel relies upon MSFT for ALL of their profits!
MSFT is now strategically aligning themselves with AMD!…
Anybody with half a brain knows the FUTURE of COMPUTING is VISUAL!
VISUAL computing relies upon GRAPHIC PROCESSING!
AMD is far ahead of Intel in GRAPHIC PROCESSING!
rory was the one who saved amd 😛
amd doesnt need to catch up .. they just need b “gud enuf” ..
u r very optimistic to say the least ..
Q3 2016 is when we will see zen based desktop n server cpus .. apus mi8 come later wid HBM2 n 400 series igp ..
AMD’s OFFICIAL ROADMAP shows BEGINNING 2016 for ZEN!
U R CLUELESS!
no official roadmap of amd shows zen .. where did u find it ???!
Can’t discuss anymore with you because you are too clueless to even search the internet….. MAY 6 Analyst Day
Recent articles from Computex.
There are numerous articles.
AMD currently in TAPE OUT of ZEN to correspond with Global Foundries announcements of full production by year end.
AMD has been waiting on Glo Flo…. U R CLUELESS!
u urself r clueless coz amd have only mentioned some time in 2016 n nothing exact has been given ..
LOL, even their own internal estimates(that are always way out there compared to what the product actually performs) only put it at 40% more ipc compared to excavator core, also they did not say if the 40% figure is including smt or excluding it, which can change a lot, if it is including smt then it will be barely any better single thread ipc than excavator has, if it’s excluding then it still won’t be anywhere near what intel will have at the time, and not even close to haswell which has 60% ipc over steamroller, then take into consideration it would come out the same time as canonlake, they are basically doomed if they don’t release it early next year, they will already miss skylake, which is gonna be faster hands down, if you think they can afford to pull anything o9ut of their ass you are dreaming, they can barely afford to make a new gpu and cpu architecture, i hope they do, but everything indicates the opposite
I thought the 2016 desktop apu will be based on excavator and the zen APU will come out in 2017. I think the name was bristol ridge for the 2016 apu? Clearly described as an excavator apu. I think they are waiting for 2017 to introduce a zen apu with hbm.
Sam, You are confusing a ZEN based APU, which will be out by mid 2016, and a ZEN based APU with HBM, which will be out in early 2017.
The AMD roadmap is very clear. It coincides with Global Foundries ability to produce 14nm FinFet in volume by end of 2015.
Initial production of 14nm will be limited, so AMD will start with lower volume higher priced ZEN server and FX CPUs.
As production further ramps, AMD/Glo Flo will be able to produce and sell higher volume lower priced APUs by mid 2016.
HBM for APUs will come in late 2016, early 2017 = HUGE GAME CHANGER!
Still HBM is a game changer for DISCRETE GPUs starting NOW!
ZEN is a game changer for AMD’s Server and FX in Q1 2016.
ZEN is a game changer for AMD’s APUs starting mid 2016.
ZEN + HBM APU are the HUGE GAME CHANGER for 2017!!!
Thanks. But you are right. The Zen apu with HBM will be, IMO, a big game changer. Especially if they can do it at a 15W TDP for ultrabooks.
I can’t wait for these CPU’s to become available, I’ve been rocking this FX 6300 for a while now and I’m saving every penny so I can pick one of these new Zen 8 cores up as soon as they are available. I’m really looking forward to the new AM4 motherboards with DDR4 system memory, finally we should get some halfway decent mobo’s with good features and overclockability unlike the crap we are subjected to now!
This time next year? Good grief. I might have to give Intel my money. Ewwww.
Thanks for this, and I have to agree, but it will only be a huge game changer IF software companies embrace it.
Right now AMD has a lot of neat features for their APUs, Mantle and Vulkan for a start working along with their GPUs. Technically even though current AMD systems are worse than intel offerings (and very close with nVidia) if mantle and vulkan were truely embraced, they’d be on par at least, although there are still a few drawbacks.
By implementing these new ZEN cores, combining the ZEN apu with HBM and fully utilizing mantle and vulkan, even if the hardware is still behind intel again, the HBM on the APU should smoke intel and nvidia when combined with vulkan and mantle. IF it gets utilised correctly.
Keep smoking crack, Ken. Your lies here and on the AMD Yahoo msg board http://finance.yahoo.com/mb/AMD/ under your amdtripledigits and other ids will be eternally documented! You poor thing
just wondering if HBM will need Special RAM /slot?
WRONG THERE FIRST CUSTOMER OUTSIDE SERVERS WILL BE
NINTENDO
ZEN CPU APU 14NM WITH HBM nintendo NX late 2016
your completly missingthe draw call efficency thing coming with zen
all the rumors point to a great gaming hardware MASSIVE DRAW CALLS ETC
nintendo NX
The possessive form is spelled “Their”, NOT “there”
The first implementation of ZEN cores will be seen in FX chips, per AMD CTO, Mark Papermaster.
ROFL, draw calls mean nothing
There are rumors that AMD will push the release date even further (although some sources confirmed that server solutions will be available in 2017). Together with great new (read truly new) GPUs, AMD may impress. I hope they will impress, because this will force Intel to cut prices and advance own processors. Also, Nvidia should also be taught a lesson; especially when they sell something like 300-400 dollars or even more (according to Amazon and Hardware.eu).
Zen won’t be coming in Q1 2016, it’ll be coming in Q4, and Zen-based APUs will be launching in Q1 or Q2 of 2017.
This ‘mid 2016 zen APU’ you’re talking about is actually an excavator APU which is based on bulldozer cores, NOT zen cores. If you read the slides it clearly shows Bristol Ridge will be coming out 1H 2016 which is an APU that uses Excavator cores. The Zen APU is codenamed Raven Ridge which will be out in 2017.