AMD's Zen 5 CPUs, APUs Will Likely Tap TSMC's 3nm Process Node

AMD Ryzen Processor
AMD Ryzen Processor (Image credit: AMD)

AMD's Zen 4 processors haven't even launched yet, and rumors are already emerging about the chipmaker's future Zen 5 chips. Given the time frame that we expect for the Zen 5 chips to debut, the information from the leaks makes sense. Nevertheless, we still recommend you approach all rumors with caution.

The partial AMD roadmap, which originated from China, claims that AMD will market its Zen 5 processors under the Ryzen 8000 branding, with both mainstream Ryzen processors and APUs reportedly uniting under the Ryzen 8000 branding umbrella. The rumored codenames for Ryzen 8000 chips and APUs are Granite Ridge and Strix Point, respectively.

ExecutableFix, a hardware leaker with a solid record, believes that Zen 5 is based on the 3nm process node. Given AMD's long-lasting relationship with TSMC, it's very likely that Zen 5 will tap into the foundry's 3nm (N3) manufacturing process. Then again, Samsung also has its own 3nm process node, so it'll be interesting to see whether the South Korean giant can woo AMD away from TSMC.

Granite Ridge is the successor to Raphael (Zen 4), so it should be compatible with the AM5 socket, which is allegedly making a transition from a Pin Grid Array (PGA) design over to a Land Grid Array (LGA) design. The general speculation for Zen 4's debut is sometime next year, meaning we shouldn't see Zen 5 until 2023.

AMD Granite Ridge, Strix Point (Image credit: 剧毒术士马文/Weibo)

Strix Point is rumored to feature a hybrid microarchitecture, similar to what Intel will do with its impending 12th Generation Alder Lake processors. In AMD's case, Ryzen 8000 APUs could leverage the Zen 5 and Zen 4 cores, implying that AMD's APUs may finally switch to a multi-chip module (MCM) approach. 

Apparently, the little cores inside Strix Point, if you want to put it that way, are called Zen 4D. The only problem we have with this leak is the discrepancy between manufacturing processes. Zen 4 is expected to feature the 5nm process node, while Zen 5 is presumably based on the 3nm process node. However, we don't discard the possibility that AMD could refresh the Zen 4 cores to put them on the 3nm process node.

On the server side, the speculation says the EPYC 7005 (purportedly codenamed Turin) lineup will replace the EPYC 7004 (Genoa) family in 2023. Logically, Turing will also be on Zen 5 cores and the 3nm process node. Threadripper's fate, on the other hand, continues to be a mystery for all.

Zhiye Liu
News Editor and Memory Reviewer

Zhiye Liu is a news editor and memory reviewer at Tom’s Hardware. Although he loves everything that’s hardware, he has a soft spot for CPUs, GPUs, and RAM.

  • peterf28
    There will be no Zen 5 ...2023 end of the world is coming, multi apocalyptic cascading event 2023
    Reply
  • JamesJones44
    I find this report to be highly unlikely. Apple has paid to have exclusive access to TMSCs latest process node, given 3nm isn't set to launch until 2H 2022 I find it highly unlikely Zen 5 would be on the 3 nm node in 2023. It will probably be on the 5nm node, just like Apple is on the 5nm node today and Zen 4 is on the 7nm node.
    Reply
  • InvalidError
    JamesJones44 said:
    Apple has paid to have exclusive access to TMSCs latest process node, given 3nm isn't set to launch until 2H 2022 I find it highly unlikely Zen 5 would be on the 3 nm node in 2023.
    Apple may have locked down TSMC's 3nm but Samsung is supposed to get there too so AMD may be able to use that and for a hybrid design, it could use Zen 5 on 3nm for the "performance" cores and some Zen 4 derivative CCDs still on 5nm for the efficiency-oriented cores.
    Reply
  • FunSurfer
    peterf28 said:
    There will be no Zen 5 ...2023 end of the world is coming, multi apocalyptic cascading event 2023
    But I thought that the rogue black hole will hit us in 2027
    Reply
  • GoatGuy
    peterf28 said:
    There will be no Zen 5 ...2023 end of the world is coming, multi apocalyptic cascading event 2023

    But at least we'll still have a Zen processor which is if not markedly better than Blue Team's best, at least on par.
    Reply
  • InvalidError
    wwenze1 said:
    And now people are trying to pull a 7nm to 3nm? This has a horrible implication that 7nm to 3nm isn't that big of a jump, or that 6nm and 5nm are just bs renames. Which some people already do know, but c'mon, the companies are making this too obvious.
    They aren't jumping from 7nm to 5nm. While TSMC's 6nm is a 7nm refinement, 5nm is its own thing that requires process-specific re-design.
    Reply
  • DSzymborski
    I thought we got through the last black hole and survived? Or am I getting black holes and AM3+ confused again?
    Reply
  • Friesiansam
    This whole article is just based on rumours and a very suspect image from China.

    Worry about what is actually going to happen. when we see some information that has a basis in fact.

    Typical Future Publishing clickbait article...
    Reply
  • CerianK
    peterf28 said:
    There will be no Zen 5 ...2023 end of the world is coming, multi apocalyptic cascading event 2023
    Zen 4 Epyc will solve the required equations in order to prevent the apocalypse JIT.
    Reply
  • raycrayz
    JamesJones44 said:
    I find this report to be highly unlikely. Apple has paid to have exclusive access to TMSCs latest process node, given 3nm isn't set to launch until 2H 2022 I find it highly unlikely Zen 5 would be on the 3 nm node in 2023. It will probably be on the 5nm node, just like Apple is on the 5nm node today and Zen 4 is on the 7nm node.

    Devil is in the details. Apple would have given TSMC a production target at that node. It's up to TSMC as to how fast they fill that production order. If TSMC thinks they'll have more capacity than they agreed to sell to Apple, then they can sell it to someone else. Production capacity (yield) may have been remodelled to be higher than originally expected.
    Reply