A Twitter user has shared an alleged AMD roadmap that details the chipmaker's plans for its next-generation mobile APUs. Respected hardware leaker kopite7kimi got word that the roadmap looks accurate. Nevertheless, approach the information with caution since roadmaps are known to change as time progresses.
The roadmap reveals AMD's upcoming mobile APUs for four categories: HP (High Power), LP (Low Power), ULP (Ultra-Low Power) and ELP (Extreme Low Power). Starting from the top, Ryzen 6000 (Rembrandt) will reportedly land next year to replace the existing Ryzen 5000 (Cezanne) lineup. If the the data is accurate, Ryzen 6000 should be based on TSMC's 6nm manufacturing process.
On a microarchitectural level, Ryzen 6000 will utilize an optimized version of Zen 3. The Zen 3+ parts will likely arrive with optimizations in the form of a small frequency bump. According to the leaked roadmap, Ryzen 6000 will support DDR5 and LPDDR5 memory. In terms of graphics, Ryzen 6000 will finally leverage AMD's Navi 2 (RDNA 2) graphics engine, and it'll be the first APU to do so. As usual, Ryzen 6000 will compete in the 45W and 15W power brackets with Rembrandt-H and Rembrandt-U, respectively.
In the LP class, AMD currently utilizes the Ryzen 5000 branding for both its Zen 3 (Cezanne) and Zen 2 (Lucienne) chips. Lucienne-U can be considered a refresh of Renoir, though AMD isn't fond of people calling it that. Lucienne-U uses the Zen 2 cores like its predecessor. It would appear that AMD will replace Lucienne-U in 2022 with Barcelo-U. Barcelo-U will represent a huge upgrade since AMD will endow it with Zen 3 cores. Sadly, the graphics engine is still Vega.
AMD's Van Gogh APUs, which compete in the ULP (Ultra-Low Power) segment, will debut sometime this year. Linux patches have revealed that the Zen 2 chips will sport Navi 2 graphics and support LPDDR5 memory. Dragon Crest is the rumored successor to Van Gogh. Since Dragon Crest seems to utilize the same recipe as Van Gogh, it's rational to assume that Dragon Crest could be a simple refresh.
Apparently, AMD doesn't have anything planned for the ELP category. Pollock, which is based on the Zen and Vega microarchitectures, will continue push forward through 2022.
