AMD Zen 6 To Feature Three CCD Configurations: 8, 16, & Up To 32 Cores, Zen 5C Packs 16 Cores In Single CCX

AMD's next-gen Zen 5 and Zen 6 core configurations have allegedly been revealed with the latter featuring up to 32 cores per CCD.

AMD Zen 6 CPUs Could Pack Up To 32 Cores Per CCD, Zen 5C Packs 16 Cores In A Single CCX

The newest information on the next-gen AMD Ryzen Zen core configurations comes from Kepler_L2 & InstLatX64. We know that AMD is on the verge of launching its Zen 5 core architecture which will make a formal debut at Computex 2024 with the first products expected to hit shelves by Q3 2024.

So first up, we have the information about the Zen 5 and Zen 5C core configurations. AMD's Zen 5 & Zen 5C cores are expected to be smaller than the existing Zen 4 cores which opens up space to incorporate more CCDs on the CPU package. While Zen 4 deployed up to 12 CCDs and Zen 4C had up to 8 CCDs on the top EPYC chips, the latter had two CCXs, each with 8 cores for up to 128 cores.

But with the coming generation, AMD is going to stack as many as 16 CCDs with Zen 5 and 12 CCDs with Zen 5C architectures. While Zen 5 will retain the same single CCX design within the CCD with a total of 8 cores for up to 128 cores, the Zen 5C chips will incorporate a single CCX with a total of 16 cores for up to 192 cores. Following is the breakdown of how the next-gen Zen 5 and Zen 5C stack up against the Zen 4 and Zen 4C chips:

• Zen 5C: Up To 12 CCDs (EPYC) / 16 Cores Per CCD / 1 CCX per CCD = Up To 192 Cores
• Zen 4C: Up To 8 CCDs (EPYC) / 16 Cores Per CCD / 2 CCX per CCD = Up To 128 Cores
• Zen 5: Up To 16 CCDs (EPYC) / 8 Cores Per CCD / 1 CCX per CCD = Up To 128 Cores
• Zen 4: Up To 12 CCDs (EPYC) / 8 Cores Per CCD / 1 CCX per CCD = Up To 96 Cores

In addition to the Zen 5 and Zen 5C architectures, it is alleged that AMD's Zen 6 core architecture, the follow-up to Zen 5, will be available in three configurations. These configurations would include 8 cores per CCD, 16 cores per CCD, and up to 32 cores per CCD. With 16 cores per CCD, you can get up to 32 cores on a dual CCD part such as the Ryzen CPUs or up to 64 cores using the same CCD layout however it is likely that the highest core count die is based around the Zen 6C architecture & AMD tends to use the standard Non-C dies for its enthusiast parts.

Having 16 or 32 cores on a single CCD in next-gen AMD Zen-powered CPUs is going to be great for multi-threaded use cases, especially within the Threadripper and EPYC families. For mainstream PC users, it is likely that AMD would accelerate the core counts further up but there are not a lot of PC games or engines that are optimized currently for such high core count chips and 3D V-Cache CPU options make for a more viable option in such instances and also save a lot of money. Look at the Ryzen 7 7800X3D for instance, an 8-core part with stacked V-Cache that sits right there with top 16 and 24-core CPUs.

AMD Zen CPU / APU Roadmap: