AMD’s upcoming processor — codenamed ‘Zen’ — will feature no fewer than 32 cores. We already knew that Zen would have ‘a lot’ of cores, but a CERN engineer has now revealed not only how high this figure is, but more details of the processor. But this is not a true 32-core processor — AMD is using a little trickery to up the numbers.
During a presentation, CERN engineer Liviu Valsan revealed that Zen will feature up to 32 physical cores and will support Symmetrical Multi-Threading. This is achieved by combining two 16-core CPUs on a single die with what is described as “a next-generation interconnect”. AMD’s CPU refresh has been a long-time coming, and there’s a little more we know about Zen.
As well as 32 cores, the upcoming x86 processor will:
Feature 14nm FinFET technology.
Offer 40 percent improvement for Instructions Per Clock when compared to current processors.
Support DDR4 (8 channels).
Support PCIe 3.0
There’s no word on when Zen processors will see the light of day, but launch is expected by the end of the year.
