VIDEO At an event last night in San Francisco, AMD revealed additional details and a first look at its next-generation, high-performance “Zen” processor core. AMD demonstrated an 8-core, 16-thread “Summit Ridge” desktop processor outperforming a similarly configured 8-core, 16-thread Intel “Broadwell-E” processor when running the multi-threaded Blender rendering software with both CPUs set to the same clock speed.
The “Zen” processor core features multiple architectural advances designed to increase the performance, throughput, and efficiency of AMD’s future products. “Zen” is based on a clean-sheet design and features a new cache hierarchy, improved branch prediction and simultaneous multithreading (SMT). These advances will allow the “Zen” core to scale to meet the needs of a broad range of applications, including fanless 2-in-1s, embedded systems, high-performance computing, and the datacenter. The “Zen”-based “Summit Ridge” desktops will utilize the AMD AM4 socket, a new unified socket infrastructure that is compatible with 7th Generation AMD A-Series desktop processors for better performance and connectivity scalability. The first desktop systems featuring 7th Generation AMD A-Series processors and new AM4 sockets are scheduled to ship in the second half of 2016 in OEM PC designs.
AMD AM4 platform key technology features include:
► DDR4 Memory
► PCIe Gen 3
► USB 3.1 Gen2 10Gbps
► NVMe
► SATA Express
In 2017, AMD expects to introduce “Zen” core-based computing products first for high-performance desktops, then for enterprise-class servers, mobile PCs, and then embedded applications.
source:mspoweruser
