AMD continues to step up its CPU core game. Today the company announced its new EPYC server line-up, codenamed Rome, that scales up to 64 cores and 128 threads. This opens the possibility for AMD's enterprise customers to equip a single dual-socket motherboard with up to 128 cores and 256 threads.
Shortly after unveiling its 7nm Radeon Instinct MI60 and MI50 accelerators at its Next Horizon Event, AMD revealed the company's forthcoming EPYC 'Rome' processors. The new processors are built around the chipmaker's Zen 2 CPU microarchitecture. They feature a new and revolutionary "chiplet" ecosystem whereby a 14nm I/O die sits at the center of the processor, surrounded by four 7nm CPU chiplet modules on each side. The chiplets are interconnected with the I/O die via AMD's second-generation Infinity Fabric architecture. Each chiplet carries up to eight cores and 16 threads.
EPYC 'Rome' processors are equipped with an eight-channel DDR4 memory controller, which is now housed inside the I/O die itself. Thanks to this improved design, each chiplet can access the memory with equal latency. The multi-core beasts can support to 4TB of DDR4 memory per socket. They are also the first processors to support the PCIe 4.0 standard and have up to 128 PCIe 4.0 lanes, which make them an ideal companion for AMD's recently announced Instinct MI60 and MI50 accelerators that utilize the PCIe 4.0 x16 interface. However, AMD didn't specify whether the PCIe resides inside the I/O die. It's probably safe to assume that each chiplet has its own PCIe lanes.
EPYC 'Rome' processors will work without hiccups on the existing 'Naples' server platform and the future 'Milan' platform aimed at processors based on the Zen 3 CPU microarchitecture. AMD has already started sampling EPYC 'Rome' processors with some of the company's biggest enterprise customers.
AMD hasn't revealed the pricing and availability of the EPYC 'Rome' line-up. Nevertheless, the processors are expected to be released in 2019, assuming there are no major setbacks.