opteron | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net KitGuru.net - Tech News | Hardware News | Hardware Reviews | IOS | Mobile | Gaming | Graphics Cards Thu, 11 Feb 2016 19:15:34 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=5.7.11 https://www.kitguru.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/cropped-KITGURU-Light-Background-SQUARE2-32x32.png opteron | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net 32 32 AMD’s Zen-based Opteron processor to have 32 cores https://www.kitguru.net/components/cpu/matthew-wilson/amds-zen-based-opteron-processor-to-have-32-cores/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/cpu/matthew-wilson/amds-zen-based-opteron-processor-to-have-32-cores/#comments Thu, 11 Feb 2016 19:15:34 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=283839 With AMD's new Zen processors set to hit the market at the end of this year, we have begun hearing more and more about the company's plans for its new architecture. Recent leaks seem to show that AMD's Opteron series of processors will be getting a significant update when Zen arrives, with a much higher …

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With AMD's new Zen processors set to hit the market at the end of this year, we have begun hearing more and more about the company's plans for its new architecture. Recent leaks seem to show that AMD's Opteron series of processors will be getting a significant update when Zen arrives, with a much higher core count and improved efficiency thanks to the 14nm process node.

The leak comes from a computer engineer at CERN, who showcased slides giving away some key details about AMD's upcoming Opteron x86 processors.

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As the slide says, the new Zen architecture will use 14nm FinFET process technology. These new chips are set to deliver a 40 percent improvement on instructions per clock compared to the current generation of AMD processors. We will see chips sporting up to 32 physical cores utilising symmetrical multithreading and these new processors will be capable of supporting up to eight channels of DDR4 RAM.

The first Zen chips will be launching at the end of 2016 but we will likely see Zen-based APUs as well as server CPUs (like the Opteron) come in 2017.

KitGuru Says: We will be hearing a lot about Zen throughout the rest of this year leading up to its eventual release. Are any of you holding out for AMD's Zen architecture? 

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AMD’s future ‘Bristol Ridge’ and ‘Stoney Ridge’ APUs listed in BIOS https://www.kitguru.net/components/cpu/anton-shilov/amds-future-bristol-ridge-and-stoney-ridge-apus-listed-in-bios-binaries/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/cpu/anton-shilov/amds-future-bristol-ridge-and-stoney-ridge-apus-listed-in-bios-binaries/#comments Tue, 29 Sep 2015 22:07:04 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=269880 An undisclosed maker of motherboards has already added mentions of AMD’s upcoming accelerated processing units in the binary of its BIOS. It is highly likely that AMD’s latest reference BIOS versions already include support of the company’s future microprocessors. As a result, mentions of the chips migrate to commercial products. Planet3DNow reports that the latest …

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An undisclosed maker of motherboards has already added mentions of AMD’s upcoming accelerated processing units in the binary of its BIOS. It is highly likely that AMD’s latest reference BIOS versions already include support of the company’s future microprocessors. As a result, mentions of the chips migrate to commercial products.

Planet3DNow reports that the latest BIOS binary version PI 1.4 contains references to AMD’s “Stoney Ridge” (ST) and “Bristol Ridge” (BR) accelerated processing units that are due next year. The addition of the processors to AMD’s reference BIOS indicates that the company has already begun preparations for the launch of its new accelerated processing units.

Both “Bristol Ridge” and “Stoney Ridge” accelerated processing units will use all-new AM4 form-factor and will be made using an existing 28nm process technology. The “Bristol Ridge” integrates four “Excavator” cores, Radeon graphics based on the GCN 1.2 architecture, a dual-channel DDR4 memory controller as well as basic input/output capabilities. The “Stoney Ridge” is expected to sport two “Excavator” cores, AMD Radeon graphics with up to 192 stream processors, a single-channel DDR4 memory controller and basic I/O functions.

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The “Bristol Ridge” processors are projected to hit the market in late Q2 or early Q3 2016. The chips will offer 10 to 15 per cent higher performance than current-generation “Kaveri” chips, hence, it will not be revolutionary at all. The “Stoney Ridge” is projected to emerge in late 2016 and will be aimed at low-cost PCs.

AMD did not comment on the news-story.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: If AMD adds support for “Bristol Ridge” and “Stoney Ridge” accelerated processing units in its reference BIOS versions, it is highly likely that the chips will actually be introduced. Since neither of APUs are game changers, it is not really important when AMD plans to introduce them. What is important is when the company intends to release its “Raven Ridge” APU with “Zen” cores and new-generation Radeon graphics adapter.

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AMD engineer: Developers were given the total freedom with ‘Zen’ https://www.kitguru.net/components/cpu/anton-shilov/amd-engineer-developers-were-given-the-total-freedom-with-zen/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/cpu/anton-shilov/amd-engineer-developers-were-given-the-total-freedom-with-zen/#comments Wed, 23 Sep 2015 10:21:26 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=268893 The “Zen” micro-architecture is a tremendously important project for Advanced Micro Devices. If the new technology is successful, AMD will become a viable developer of central processing units again. If not, the company will have troubles with surviving. Fortunately, “Zen” is a completely new micro-architecture that promises to be very competitive. Apparently, the management team …

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The “Zen” micro-architecture is a tremendously important project for Advanced Micro Devices. If the new technology is successful, AMD will become a viable developer of central processing units again. If not, the company will have troubles with surviving. Fortunately, “Zen” is a completely new micro-architecture that promises to be very competitive. Apparently, the management team gave a lot of freedom with the new CPU design.

“It is the first time in a very long time that we engineers have been given the total freedom to build a processor from scratch and do the best we can do,” said Suzanne Plummer, a director of design engineering at AMD and also a veteran Austin chip engineer, who heads development of a “Zen”-based processor, in an interview with MyStatesman.

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Last week AMD announced that Jim Keller, a legendary processor engineer who headed development of “Zen” micro-architecture, had left the company. It is believed that he has completed the work on the first two iterations of the “Zen” technology. He also worked on the “K12” architecture, which is compatible with the ARMv8-A instruction set architecture.

“[Zen] is a multi-year project with a really large team,” said Ms. Plummer. “It’s like a marathon effort with some sprints in the middle. The team is working very hard, but they can see the finish line. I guarantee that it will deliver a huge improvement in performance and (low) power consumption over the previous generation.”

Ms. Plummer has worked at AMD since 2002, when the company took over Alchemy Semiconductor.

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The first processor based on “Zen” micro-architecture is code-named “Summit Ridge”. The chip is expected to hit the market in October, 2016, and aim at high-end desktops and servers. The new cores will offer at least 40 per cent performance improvement at the same clock-rate compared to existing cores.

“Everything is riding on ‘Zen’,” said analyst Nathan Brookwood with Insight 64. “They are shooting for performance parity with where (arch-rival) Intel will be. AMD understands that they have to succeed with ‘Zen’. If ‘Zen’ fizzles, they will really have to do a lot of running around.”

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: “Zen” will be AMD’s first major new design since 2011. It has to be successful. If it is not successful, AMD’s share in the market of CPUs will shrink even further.

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AMD begins development of its third major semi-custom design https://www.kitguru.net/components/anton-shilov/amd-begins-development-of-its-third-major-semi-custom-design/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/anton-shilov/amd-begins-development-of-its-third-major-semi-custom-design/#comments Sat, 18 Jul 2015 12:01:35 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=259656 Advanced Micro Devices recently started to design its third semi-custom accelerated processing unit for an undisclosed customer. Some believe that this third semi-custom system-on-chip will eventually power Nintendo’s next-generation game console code-named “NX”. However, AMD claims that the new SoC “expands the base” of its semi-custom business beyond gaming, which means that the APU is …

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Advanced Micro Devices recently started to design its third semi-custom accelerated processing unit for an undisclosed customer. Some believe that this third semi-custom system-on-chip will eventually power Nintendo’s next-generation game console code-named “NX”. However, AMD claims that the new SoC “expands the base” of its semi-custom business beyond gaming, which means that the APU is not developed with a game console in mind.

“We have started a new design this quarter that we believe expands our base for the semi-custom business and we are very pleased with that,” said Lisa Su, chief executive officer of Advanced Micro Devices, during the company’s earnings conference call with investors and financial analysts. “The base semi-custom business is around the game consoles.”

amd_fusion_semi_custon_chip_universe

AMD announced two new semi-custom SoC design wins back in October, 2014. Both chips will integrate AMD Radeon graphics, one will be based on ARM architecture, another one will feature x86 general-purpose cores. One of the APUs is projected to power a “beyond gaming device”. Details about another have never been disclosed, but it is possible that it is a SoC for a gaming device. The two semi-custom system-on-chips are projected to bring the company combined total lifetime revenue of approximately $1 billion over approximately three years starting 2016.

Considering relatively short amount of time between the start of development and actual revenue shipments of AMD's third semi-custom design, it looks like the system-on-chip will not be something very complex. According to comments made by AMD around two years ago, it took it less than 24 months to design, build and tune system-on-chip for Sony PlayStation 4. However, it took years to determine requirements for the SoC as well as its architecture.

amd_semi_custom_fusion_strategy

The third semi-custom design is expected to bring the first revenue to AMD in the second half of 2016. AMD expects that the addition of this APU will help the company to further grow its semi-custom business.

“I think we will still see 2016 to be a fairly solid year for the traditional, let's call it game console business, overall,” said Ms. Su. “Then as we layer on top of it some of the new wins, I think that does give us potential to grow in the second half of the year. Obviously, there is a lot to happen between now and then, but I do see semi-custom as a growth driver for us going forward.”

amd_fusion_semi_custon_chip

So far, AMD has received around $3 billion in revenue for its semi-custom SoCs that power Microsoft Xbox One and Sony PlayStation 4. The two consoles have been in production for about two years now.

While semi-custom chip business is stable and predictable, something that is important for AMD, which has not been very successful on its traditional PC and server markets in the recent years, it is not very profitable. AMD admitted last year that its console SoCs are sold with 15 – 20 per cent margin, which is considerably below typical margins for fabless semiconductor companies in general and AMD in particular.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: In fact, even combined total lifetime revenue of approximately $1 billion over approximately three years for two chips indicate that both products are rather basic and inexpensive. It is unlikely that they will power devices that are sold in very high volumes (i.e., tens of millions of units).

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AMD vows to keep R&D investments at appropriate levels https://www.kitguru.net/components/graphic-cards/anton-shilov/amd-vows-to-keep-rd-investments-at-appropriate-levels/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/graphic-cards/anton-shilov/amd-vows-to-keep-rd-investments-at-appropriate-levels/#comments Fri, 17 Jul 2015 22:39:24 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=259626 Despite of tough times, Advanced Micro Devices plans to sustain its research and development investments on certain levels in a bid to ensure that its products are competitive in the future. Research and development are two corner stones of high-tech companies. Without fundamental research of things that may not seem important today and development of actual products, …

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Despite of tough times, Advanced Micro Devices plans to sustain its research and development investments on certain levels in a bid to ensure that its products are competitive in the future.

Research and development are two corner stones of high-tech companies. Without fundamental research of things that may not seem important today and development of actual products, companies will be unable to release anything at all. Just like other things, R&D costs money and companies have to assign a portion of their revenue on such operations in order to maintain financial discipline. Typically, high-tech companies spend between 20 and 25 per cent of their revenue on R&D.

Revenues of Advanced Micro Devices have been declining for many quarters now, as a result, the company has to lower its spending on research and development as well as on multitude of other things. In the last five years AMD’s R&D spending dropped by almost 50 per cent: from $432 million in Q4 2009 to $225 million in Q2 2015 as a result of revenue drops as well as AMD’s attempts to demonstrate profitability.

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Throughout its history, AMD has always tried to maintain its R&D expenses at certain levels in a bid to support its product roadmap and ensure that it will have competitive products years down the road. Unfortunately, due to declines of earnings and decision to demonstrate positive results, AMD’s R&D expenses dropped below $300 million per quarter in Q3 2013 and have been declining since then. In fact, $225 million is the lowest amount of money that AMD spent on research and development per quarter in more than a decade, which essentially means that now it spends less on R&D than back in the days when it developed only microprocessors.

During its earnings conference call with investors and financial analysts this week, AMD said that it would do everything to roll-out new products that are in development right now and prioritize R&D expenses over everything else going forward.

“We have specific products that are coming out over the next, call it, 18-month timeframe, and we are going to do everything possible to protect that roadmap,” said Devinder Kumar, chief financial officer of AMD. “R&D is obviously going to be the higher priority from that standpoint.”

amd_r_and_d_rd

In a bid to support its ongoing R&D operations, AMD already increased research and development spending as a percentage of revenue to 23.8 per cent in Q2 compared to 22.5 per cent in Q1. Since the company expects its sales to increase in the third quarter, it will naturally be able to either further increase its R&D expenses, or at least maintain them at the current levels.

CFO of AMD understands perfectly that in addition to mid-term products, the company has to invest in the long-term future. Hopefully, it means that AMD will not let R&D spending fall below certain level.

“Even as we talk and contemplate about the actions we are going to take, we are going to do everything to protect that roadmap for the longer term, a strategic roadmap as well as the financial model,” said Mr. Kumar.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: While it is nice to see that AMD cares about its mid-term and long-term future, it is clear that in order to be truly competitive with its rivals, the company will have to invest more in R&D, not only in terms of absolute dollars, but also as a percentage of revenue. For example, Nvidia spends around 30 per cent of its revenue on R&D, which is why its research and development budget has surpassed that of AMD despite of similar quarterly revenues. Moreover, as AMD transits its products to FinFET manufacturing technologies, its expenses on chip design will triple. Therefore, either AMD increases its sales and boosts its R&D budget, or it will have to increase its R&D spending as a percentage of revenue…

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AMD: We have taped out our first FinFET products https://www.kitguru.net/components/graphic-cards/anton-shilov/amd-we-have-taped-out-our-first-finfet-products/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/graphic-cards/anton-shilov/amd-we-have-taped-out-our-first-finfet-products/#comments Fri, 17 Jul 2015 02:48:59 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=259448 Advanced Micro Devices said on Thursday that it had taped out its first products, which will be made using a FinFET process technology. While AMD does not reveal which products it had taped out, it is highly-likely that one of them is a highly-anticipated microprocessor based on “Zen” micro-architecture. “We have actually just taped-out our …

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Advanced Micro Devices said on Thursday that it had taped out its first products, which will be made using a FinFET process technology. While AMD does not reveal which products it had taped out, it is highly-likely that one of them is a highly-anticipated microprocessor based on “Zen” micro-architecture.

“We have actually just taped-out our first couple of FinFET designs,” said Lisa Su, chief executive officer of Advanced Micro Devices, during the company’s earnings conference call with investors and financial analysts.

Ms. Su did not elaborate which of the future designs the company had taped out and when exactly this happened. Nonetheless, two tape-outs mean that the company has managed to successfully design its first products with FinFET transistors. Design of an advanced microprocessor that will be made using a FinFET process technology costs north from $150 million without the cost of photomasks needed for production. Therefore, the tape-out means that the vast majority of investments in these two chips have been made.

amd_fusion_chip_logo_processor

Tape-out is the final stage of the design cycle of an integrated circuit, the point at which the artwork of the IC is sent to a maker of photomasks. Once the set of photolithographic masks is ready and verified, it is sent to a contract manufacturer of the chip, which produces the first working samples of the chip. It may take up to several weeks to prepare a mask-set. Production cycle of a complex FinFET processor is around 90 days from wafer start to chip delivery. As a result, if AMD taped out its first FinFET chips in June, then the company will get the first samples of its products in September.

Mass production of chips nowadays starts between nine and twelve months after the initial tape-out. Therefore, if AMD managed to tape-out its chips last month, then it is on-track to start their high-volume production next June or a bit earlier and release its first products made using a FinFET process technology in late Q3 or early Q4 2016.

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AMD does not disclose which of its FinFET chips it has taped-out. Based on official and unofficial information, it is highly likely that the first AMD products to be made using a FinFET fabrication process will be the code-named “Summit Ridge” central processing unit with up to eight “Zen” cores as well as the code-named “Greenland” graphics processing unit based on the next iteration of the GCN [graphics core next] architecture. Over time all AMD products will be made using FinFET process technologies. The “Summit Ridge” will be used for next-generation AMD Opteron processors for servers as well as for AMD FX processors for desktops.

“We will be bringing different parts of the product line into FinFET at different points in time,” said Ms. Su. “I think what we have said is graphics [processors] will certainly utilize FinFETs as well as our new Zen processors and so they will roll out over the quarters in 2016.”

It is noteworthy that AMD still does not want to disclose its manufacturing partner for FinFET process technologies in 2016.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: It is a long time before we will see the first FinFET products from AMD on the market. However, it is great to see that the company has finished its first two FinFET designs. The biggest part of the work is over for the two FinFET-based products, now AMD needs to execute and release them in time.

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AMD’s 2016 APUs to be powered by ‘Excavator’ x86 cores – slides https://www.kitguru.net/components/cpu/anton-shilov/amds-2016-apus-to-be-powered-by-excavator-x86-cores-slides-from-amd/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/cpu/anton-shilov/amds-2016-apus-to-be-powered-by-excavator-x86-cores-slides-from-amd/#comments Sat, 13 Jun 2015 21:22:58 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=254436 Advanced Micro Devices will not use its next-generation high-performance “Zen” micro-architecture for its accelerated processing units next year, if excerpts from an alleged AMD presentation published by a web-site are to be believed. While the slides reveal AMD’s intentions, they do not answer all the questions about the forthcoming chip. “Bristol Ridge”: “Zen” or “Excavator” …

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Advanced Micro Devices will not use its next-generation high-performance “Zen” micro-architecture for its accelerated processing units next year, if excerpts from an alleged AMD presentation published by a web-site are to be believed. While the slides reveal AMD’s intentions, they do not answer all the questions about the forthcoming chip.

“Bristol Ridge”: “Zen” or “Excavator” cores?

AMD’s code-named “Bristol Ridge” APU due in 2016 will rely on “Excavator” cores and “Carrizo” design with minimum changes, based on slides published by BenchLife. The presentation published by the web-site was allegedly demonstrated to AMD’s partners on the 27th of March, 2015. The presentation is fairly detailed when it comes to technical information about “Bristol Ridge” and AMD’s next-generation APU platform. However, the presentation contains a number of typos, which may indicate that the web-site has obtained a preliminary version of the document*.

amd_fusion_carrizo_bristol_ridge

The first rumours about “Excavator” cores inside “Bristol Ridge” emerged in January, which means that the document does not contradict the previously released information. However, in May, a slide from another AMD presentation (which was allegedly a preliminary presentation for the company’s financial analysts day) revealed that “Bristol Ridge” was to be based on up to four “Zen” cores.

Unfortunately, the presentation published by the Chinese web-site does not contain any proper release milestones schedule for “Bristol Ridge”, but only says that the new APU will hit the market in July, 2016. Typically, when a semiconductor company is working on a project, it sets milestones for it. There are target timeframes for tape-out, availability of engineering samples, mass production start and so on. If the milestones are not listed, it may mean that either the company’s plans are not solid or the company has issues with execution.

amd_platform_samples_schedules_zen_summit_ridge

Since slides about “Bristol Ridge” published by two different sources contradict each other, it may mean that either AMD is choosing between options regarding its next-gen desktop APUs, or the information about “Zen”-based APUs in 2016 is fake. To release “Bristol Ridge” featuring “Carrizo” architecture and “Excavator” cores, AMD needs to improve clock-rate potential of its latest APU. To launch a brand-new accelerated processing unit featuring “Excavator” cores, AMD will have to design an all-new chip from the ground up. Based on what we know about “Zen” from unofficial sources, the new APUs and CPUs will feature a layout that will be completely different when compared to today’s processors.

“Bristol Ridge”: “Carrizo” for desktops

Just like AMD’s current-gen mobile APU, the “Bristol Ridge” will integrate a basic input-output controller, which supports USB 3.0, PCI Express 3.0 x8 to connect to GPUs, PCI Express 3.0 x4 to connect to code-named “Promontory” core-logic sets, PCI Express 3.0 x2 with Serial ATA support to connect to HDDs and SSDs as well as SD, SPI, eSPI and I2S interfaces. The chip is expected to use AM4 form-factor previously known as FM3 (as the document names it). While the APU resembles “Carrizo”, it will come either in pin grid array (PGA) or land grid array (LGA) form-factor. Moreover, “Carrizo” has more advanced I/O capabilities.

amd_bristol_ridge_promontory_unofficial_slide

AMD’s “Bristol Ridge” accelerated processing unit will integrate four “Excavator” (XV) cores (two dual-core modules) with 2MB of L2 cache (1MB of cache per module, 512KB per core), AMD Radeon graphics processor with eight compute units (512 stream processors) based on the GCN 1.2 instruction set architecture, a dual-channel DDR4 memory controller, a special high-performance bus to connect x86 cores to graphics cores and DRAM as well as heterogeneous system architecture features (compatible with the HSA 1.0 specifications).

Multimedia, security and input/output capabilities of “Bristol Ridge” will remain unchanged from “Carrizo”. The APU will feature universal video decoder 6.0 (UVD6) with HEVC decoding support for ultra-high-definition (UHD) video, video encoder engine 3.1 (VCE3.1) and audio co-processor 2 (ACP2). In addition to TrustZone technology, AMD’s new chip will also support TPM 2.0, crypto acceleration and secure boot.

The upcoming desktop APU from AMD will support HDMI 2.0 output, which means it will be able to display 3840*2160 video with 120Hz refresh rate, stereo-3D UHD video and so on. The APU will support up to three displays.

amd_bristol_ridge_promontory

Just like “Carrizo”, “Bristol Ridge” will also feature advanced power management capabilities, including connected standby, adaptive voltage and frequency scaling (AVFS), clock stretcher, STAPM and so on.

“Bristol Ridge”: “Carrizo” on steroids?

Without any doubts, “Bristol Ridge” in the form described by the document is a derivative from “Carrizo”. The only question is whether the chip is actually a re-badged “Carrizo”, or a new APU tailored to work at higher clock-rates.

AMD claims that “Carrizo” was designed to be extremely energy-efficient and highly integrated, but was not developed to operate at extreme clock-rates. To maximize transistor density (integration) and lower power consumption, AMD used high-density chip design libraries (HDL) for the chip. According to the company, usage of high density libraries and automated design methods (akin to those used for graphics processing units) helped the company to reduce sizes of “Excavator” cores by 23 per cent compared to “Steamroller” cores inside “Kaveri” and reduce their power consumption by whopping 40 per cent.

When CPU makers design microprocessors that should operate at high clock-rates, they use high-performance chip design libraries, which decreases transistor density and makes chips bigger (and costlier). The companies then adjust their designs in a bid to optimize sizes, frequencies and power consumption. In general, high-performance chips differ from low-power chips, even though that difference may be negligible in some cases.

While “Carrizo” is not supposed to run at high frequencies, maximum clock-rate of such chips is actually 3.40GHz (which may or may not be enabled by a particular PC maker due to TDP limitations).

amd_bristol_ridge_expectations

According to a slide published by BenchLife, “Excavator” cores inside “Bristol Ridge” will operate at ~4GHz clock-rates, which is a significant improvement over “Carrizo”. Theoretically, it may indicate that the “Bristol Ridge” is a new chip that was partly re-designed using high-performance libraries. Thanks to higher clock-rates and 10 per cent higher IPC [instructions per clock] performance of “Excavator” vs. “Steamroller”, expect “Bristol Ridge” to be faster than “Kaveri” in general-purpose applications.

The upcoming APU will also support DDR4 memory, which may mean that the chip is different from “Carrizo”. While this is possible, it may also demonstrate that “Carrizo” also technically supports DDR4, but it is not enabled due to power consumption or cost concerns.

Thanks to higher clock-rates and DDR4 support, graphics processing performance of “Bristol Ridge” should be higher compared to that of “Kaveri”.

The “Bristol Ridge” chip is expected to be made using an unknown 28nm fabrication process and will have up to 95W thermal design power. By contrast, “Carrizo” has maximum TDP of 35W.

Final words

AMD’s “Bristol Ridge” accelerated processing units will offer considerably higher performance than “Carrizo” thanks to higher frequencies, improved memory bandwidth and other optimizations. Moreover, the new APUs will also be faster than “Kaveri”. However, do not expect any breakthroughs from “Excavator”. The “Bulldozer” architecture is clearly outdated and AMD decided not to invest a lot in its enhancement. In fact, AMD also did not improve its integrated graphics processor anyhow compared to “Kaveri”.

If “Bristol Ridge” products arrive in the third quarter of 2016, they will face tough competition from Intel’s “Skylake” processors. Being made using more advanced process technology and featuring new micro-architectures for both general-purpose and graphics-processing cores, the new chips from Intel promise to offer high performance in all types of applications.

AMD did not comment on the news-story.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Re-introducing “Carrizo” for desktops next year is hardly something that AMD management wants. It is obvious that the chip will be slower compared to Intel’s offerings in many, if not all, applications. The only reason why AMD may plan to introduce “Bristol Ridge” with “Excavator” cores is because its “Zen”-based APUs are not ready and AMD just cannot sell “Kaveri” for three years.

While the prospects of “Bristol Ridge” do not look exactly good, keep in mind that the information comes from unofficial sources and next year AMD may introduce something completely different.

*Note: The images originally published by BenchLife have been altered for better viewing experience.

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AMD set to release first ‘Zen’-based microprocessors in late 2016 – document https://www.kitguru.net/components/cpu/anton-shilov/amd-set-to-release-first-zen-based-microprocessors-in-late-2016-document/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/cpu/anton-shilov/amd-set-to-release-first-zen-based-microprocessors-in-late-2016-document/#comments Fri, 12 Jun 2015 19:28:26 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=254276 While Advanced Micro Devices’ next-generation micro-architecture known as “Zen” looks very impressive on paper, it will not hit the market any time soon. In fact, AMD plans to release the first microprocessors featuring the new cores only in late 2016, according to a document published by a web-site. AMD’s first “Zen”-based central processing units code-named …

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While Advanced Micro Devices’ next-generation micro-architecture known as “Zen” looks very impressive on paper, it will not hit the market any time soon. In fact, AMD plans to release the first microprocessors featuring the new cores only in late 2016, according to a document published by a web-site.

AMD’s first “Zen”-based central processing units code-named “Summit Ridge” will only become available in October, 2016, according to AMD 2016 desktop platform schedule* published by BenchLife. The confidential document was presented to AMD’s partners on the 27th of March, 2015, and may contain certain inaccuracies. For example, the document calls AMD’s forthcoming desktop socket as “FM3”, whereas AMD’s official name revealed in May is “AM4”.

If the schedule is correct and up-to-date, then AMD is finalizing design of its “Summit Ridge” chip right now and still does not have fully-functional samples of the processor.

amd_platform_samples_schedules_zen_summit_ridge

AMD expects to send the first engineering samples (ES) of the “Summit Ridge” central processing units to its partners in April, 2016. Engineering samples are usually fully-functional A1 revision chips that may run at lower clock-rates than the final products.

The A2 production candidate (PC) “Summit Ridge” processors that run at designated clock-rates and support all features are expected to ship to AMD’s partners in July, 2016. By September, 2016, AMD will ship A2 revision production ready (PR) processors with all the markings on them. The first central processing units featuring “Zen” cores will be introduced in October, 2016.

Nowadays high-volume production of chips starts between nine and twelve months after the initial tape-out. The A2 revision is usually the first commercial version of the chip for AMD. If AMD starts to produce its “Summit Ridge” chips in volume in July, 2016, it means that the company is finalizing its design right now and will tape the chip out in the coming weeks.

amd_fusion_chip_logo_processor

Based on unofficial information, AMD’s “Summit Ridge” processor has up to eight “Zen” cores with 512KB level two cache per core, up to 16MB of unified level-three cache, a dual-channel DDR4 memory controller, integrated PCI Express 3.0 x16 bus to connect to graphics cards, built-in PCIe 3.0 x4 port with NVMe and SATA support to connect storage devices and other input/output technologies. The CPUs are expected to be made using 14nm FinFET process technology (14LPP) at GlobalFoundries.

The authenticity of the document could not be verified, even though it resembles typical AMD’s documents for its partners and contains a number of facts revealed before or after its alleged publication date.

AMD did not comment on the news-story.

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KitGuru Says: As expected, AMD’s “Zen”-based processors will not hit the market during the “back-to-school” season next year and will only be available for holidays. If the chips are significantly better than microprocessors offered by Intel Corp. in the second half of 2016, then AMD will sell a lot of them to enthusiasts, just like it did in 2003, when it released the Athlon 64 3200+ and the Athlon 64 FX-51. However, it also means that high-volume availability of “Summit Ridge” processors will only occur in 2017.

*Note: The image originally published by BenchLife has been altered for better viewing experience.

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AMD’s ‘Zen’ may enable company to be a viable competitor to Intel – analyst https://www.kitguru.net/components/cpu/anton-shilov/amds-zen-may-enable-company-to-be-a-viable-competitor-to-intel-analyst/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/cpu/anton-shilov/amds-zen-may-enable-company-to-be-a-viable-competitor-to-intel-analyst/#comments Fri, 12 Jun 2015 02:17:01 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=254126 Advanced Micro Devices has not updated its server and high-end desktop microprocessors for well over two years now, which is why market shares of AMD Opteron and AMD FX central processing units are negligible. However, a lot may change next year, when AMD roll-out its next-generation CPUs based on its code-named “Zen” microarchitecture, according to …

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Advanced Micro Devices has not updated its server and high-end desktop microprocessors for well over two years now, which is why market shares of AMD Opteron and AMD FX central processing units are negligible. However, a lot may change next year, when AMD roll-out its next-generation CPUs based on its code-named “Zen” microarchitecture, according to a financial analyst.

“We believe that AMD has a strong design team working on the new ‘Zen’ processor core due out next year,” wrote Gus Richard, an analyst with Northland Capital Markets, in a note to clients, reports Tech Trader Daily. “We believe that this will be a significant improvement over its current product offering, and may enable AMD to once again be a viable second source to Intel in the data center. “

AMD has not revealed a lot of information about “Zen” yet, but what is known is that the company’s upcoming high-performance x86 processor cores offer 40 per cent higher instructions per clock performance compared to “Excavator” x86 cores. This means that AMD’s next-gen central processing units will be 40 per cent faster compared to existing CPUs at the same clock-rate.

amd_zen_performance_advantages_fad
A slide from AMD's official presentation

According to unofficial information, desktop microprocessors based on “Zen” micro-architecture will integrate up to eight cores, whereas server-class chips will feature even more cores. The CPUs are expected to be made using 14nm FinFET process technology at GlobalFoundries.

Since the new AMD Opteron and FX processors are going to hit the market only in the second half of 2016, they will have a significant impact on the company’s revenue and earnings only in 2017. However, Mr. Richard believes that the popularity of AMD’s new server chips will grow rather rapidly because operators of datacenters are willing to invest in hardware that competes against Intel, which is dominating the market.

“We hear that web scale data center operators are frustrated with Intel’s control of server architecture and high prices,” said Mr. Richard.

amd_quad_core_zen
A slide from an alleged presentation of AMD, which has not been published officially

The analyst estimates that sales of AMD Opteron processors based on “Zen” architecture could hit around $1 billion in 2017. Last quarter AMD earned $1.03 billion in total, so addition of “Zen” is projected to be dramatically important for the company.

“We estimate that with roughly 10% market share or $1 billion in datacentre revenue, gross margin in calendar year 2017 would increase to the high 30% range and earnings per share could reach roughly $0.50,” said the analyst. “This would be in line with AMD’s three to five year target model.”

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KitGuru Says: AMD has tremendous troubles with its microprocessors, accelerated processing units and some other products today. If the company executes its “Zen”-related plans well, it may become rather successful. However, one of the problems is that it not enough to offer just one award winning processor. AMD needs to introduce a competitive lineup and then follow-up with equally competitive family a year later. Will AMD be able to do it? Only time will tell!

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AMD: We need to invest in software to tap new markets https://www.kitguru.net/components/graphic-cards/anton-shilov/amd-we-need-to-invest-in-software-to-tap-new-markets/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/graphic-cards/anton-shilov/amd-we-need-to-invest-in-software-to-tap-new-markets/#comments Tue, 12 May 2015 22:36:54 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=249146 Advanced Micro Devices develops world-class graphics processing hardware. The company’s GPUs pose serious competition to Nvidia Corp.’s graphics solutions on the PC market. However, when it comes to professional graphics or high-performance computing applications, Nvidia has loads of advantages thanks to its fine drivers and comprehensive software suite. Apparently, AMD admits that it needs to …

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Advanced Micro Devices develops world-class graphics processing hardware. The company’s GPUs pose serious competition to Nvidia Corp.’s graphics solutions on the PC market. However, when it comes to professional graphics or high-performance computing applications, Nvidia has loads of advantages thanks to its fine drivers and comprehensive software suite. Apparently, AMD admits that it needs to invest more in programs in a bid to better address those markets.

“The portion of the graphics business, which is the most untapped portion, is the professional graphics workstation and the GPU compute,” said Lisa Su, chief executive officer of AMD, at the company’s financial analyst day. “We are going to focus on the high margin areas to gain profitable market share. We feel very good about our competitive graphics portfolio. We need to invest more in software and we need to continue the investments in new technologies going forward.”

GPU-based solutions for professional graphics applications and high-performance computing (HPC) require extremely sophisticated hardware that is easy to use and program for. In addition to that, they also require state-of-the-art software, including drivers, tools, libraries, compilers and so on. While AMD’s GPU are on par with Nvidia when it comes to performance, the software side of things is not as good.

amd_headquarters

Nvidia has been investing in its CUDA parallel computing platform for nearly a decade now. There are thousands of CUDA-accelerated programs and tens of thousands of developers, who can use the platform. World’s leading-edge supercomputers utilize Nvidia hardware and software, which guarantees the company various lucrative deals.

In a bid to catch up with Nvidia, AMD will have to invest heavily in industry-standard GPGPU solutions. Creating a competitive HPC platform will take some time, but it is nice to see that the company recognizes the problem and wants to solve it.

In a bid to invest in development of professional and HPC software, AMD needs to increase its R&D budgets, something that is hard to do, considering the fact that the company’s sales and profits have been declining for years.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Lisa Su, AMD’s chief executive officer, seems to be quite frank about the company’s challenges. But while she outlines plans and reveals what is needed to successful, she does not reveal how the company plans to solve certain challenges and when to expect actual results to materialize.

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AMD delays introduction of K12-based processors to 2017 https://www.kitguru.net/components/cpu/anton-shilov/amd-delays-introduction-of-k12-based-processors-to-2017/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/cpu/anton-shilov/amd-delays-introduction-of-k12-based-processors-to-2017/#comments Wed, 06 May 2015 20:41:01 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=248362 Advanced Micro Devices on Wednesday said that it will delay high-volume shipments of microprocessors powered by its custom ARMv8-compatible “K12” cores to 2017. The company did not reveal any reasons behind the postponement. AMD’s “K12” core is the company’s first 64-bit ARMv8-A-compatible microprocessor engine designed entirely in-house. Development of the core is led by Jim …

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Advanced Micro Devices on Wednesday said that it will delay high-volume shipments of microprocessors powered by its custom ARMv8-compatible “K12” cores to 2017. The company did not reveal any reasons behind the postponement.

AMD’s “K12” core is the company’s first 64-bit ARMv8-A-compatible microprocessor engine designed entirely in-house. Development of the core is led by Jim Keller, who also heads development of “Zen” micro-architecture. Mr. Keller is a legendary CPU architect, who is best known for such high-performance designs as DEC’s Alpha 21164 and 21264, AMD’s K8 (Athlon 64/Opteron), Apple’s “Swift” and “Cyclone” as well as multiple successful PowerPC- and MIPS-based system-on-chips.

amd_arm_k12

While not a lot of information is known about the “K12” architecture, since it is developed alongside with “Zen” x86 general-purpose cores, it is clear that it is designed to offer very high performance. Many of Zen’s peculiarities (e.g., high-bandwidth, low-latency cache sub-system; uncore; some other parts) are expected to be a part of “K12” cores. In fact, AMD is confident that server processors based on its “K12” will be the highest-performing ARM-based enterprise-class CPUs, which may indicate that “K12” will be the fastest 64-bit ARM cores on the planet two years from now.

AMD is working on several “K12”-based products, including one server-class Opteron system-on-chip for enterprise, “Styx” accelerated processing unit for mobile client devices. According to unofficial information, the “Styx” APU is expected to have up to two “K12” cores, a Radeon graphics processing unit powered by next-generation GCN architecture, full HSA 1.0 implementation, built-in input/output capabilities as well as Secure Processor technology. Thermal design power of the chip is projected to be around 2W. The SoC will reportedly use FT4 BGA form-factor.

amd_opteron_2016_2017

While AMD did not reveal exact reasons why it decided to push back introduction of “K12”-powered products to 2017, it looks like the company decided to focus its resources on “Zen”-based x86 products for various market segments in 2015 – 2016 timeframe. Given increased design costs of FinFET chips, it looks like the company just had to delay the “K12” products in order to release its new high-performance x86 offerings in time.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Although AMD’s “K12”-powered designs got delayed to 2017, it is clear that ARM is definitely a part of AMD’s future and the company continues to believe in ARM-based servers and client computer platforms.

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AMD roadmap leaks: Summit Ridge, Bristol Ridge, Basilisk and Styx https://www.kitguru.net/components/anton-shilov/amd-2016-roadmap-leaks-summit-ridge-bristol-ridge-basilisk-and-styx/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/anton-shilov/amd-2016-roadmap-leaks-summit-ridge-bristol-ridge-basilisk-and-styx/#comments Wed, 29 Apr 2015 16:50:40 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=247334 An alleged AMD insider has published what it appears to be the company’s microprocessor roadmap for 2016. If the plan is accurate and AMD manages to execute it, then next year the company will release a top-to-bottom family of central processing units based on “Zen” micro-architecture as well as one chip featuring its own ARMv8-compatible …

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An alleged AMD insider has published what it appears to be the company’s microprocessor roadmap for 2016. If the plan is accurate and AMD manages to execute it, then next year the company will release a top-to-bottom family of central processing units based on “Zen” micro-architecture as well as one chip featuring its own ARMv8-compatible “K12” cores.

AMD’s “Zen” technology will be used not only for high-performance central processing units as well as accelerated processing units, but also for system-on-chips designed for inexpensive and small form-factor applications, reveals a slide from AMD roadmap for 2016. For applications like tablets AMD intends to offer all-new system-on-chip powered by its ARMv8-compatible “K12” cores, another slide claims. All of AMD's APUs and CPUs due next year are set to be made by GlobalFoundries. Officially, the company’s plans for 2016 are expected to be presented next week, but an alleged employee of AMD published the slides on Wednesday.

“Summit Ridge”: High-performance eight-core AMD processors due next year

After years of waiting, in 2016 AMD plans to introduce its all-new high-performance processors that will replace its current-generation FX-series chips. The new CPUs are going to be based on the brand-new AMD “Zen” microarchitecture that is expected to dramatically improve performance of AMD’s offerings.

amd_roadmap_desktop_2016_zen

As reported, AMD’s high-performance desktop microprocessor due next year will be code-named “Summit Ridge”. The CPU will integrate up to eight “Zen” cores, 4MB L2 cache, 8MB of L3 cache, a dual-channel DDR4 memory controller (DDR3 support should be possible), a PCI Express 3.0 controller as well as other necessary logic. The chip will use AMD’s new FM3 form-factor.

The new central processing unit will be made using 14nm FinFET manufacturing technology at GlobalFoundries. Keeping in mind positioning of AMD FX-series chips, it is highly likely that “Summit Ridge” processors will be optimized for high clock-rates. Still, they are projected to be made using a standard fabrication process since the company is moving away from AMD-specific technologies.

Two or more “Summit Ridge” dies are expected to be used to build many-core AMD Opteron multi-chip-modules (MCMs) for servers.

“Bristol Ridge”: AMD’s first high-performance system-on-chip for desktops and laptops

This year AMD offers two different APUs for desktops and laptops: a classic “Godavari” APU that is designed to run at high clock-rates and a highly-integrated “Carrizo” that is optimized for low power consumption. Next year AMD plans to unify its design approaches and will again offer a “one size fits all” APU code-named “Bristol Ridge”.

amd_roadmap_mobility_2016_zen_k12

AMD’s code-named “Bristol Ridge” chip will be the company’s high-end APU for 2016 desktops and laptops. Highly-integrated “Bristol Ridge” accelerated processing unit will feature up to four “Zen” cores, a Radeon graphics processing unit powered by next-generation GCN architecture, full HSA 1.0 implementation, a dual-channel DDR4 memory controller (DDR3 support should be possible), an integrated input/output controller as well as AMD TrueAudio and Secure Processor technologies.

“Bristol Ridge” APUs for desktops will use the same FM3 form-factor as AMD’s high-end microprocessors.

Mobile versions of “Bristol Ridge” will feature 15W – 35W TDP, will sport FP4 BGA package and will be pin-to-pin compatible with “Carrizo” and ”Carrizo-L” APUs.

While “Bristol Ridge” accelerated processing unit is going to be made using a 14nm fabrication process, given the fact that it will be a system-on-chip – like “Carrizo” – it is highly likely that the processor will not be optimized for high clock-rates. Still, thanks to thinner process technology and new micro-architecture, “Bristol Ridge” APUs will likely offer significantly higher performance compared to existing offerings.

“Basilisk”: Small chip based on “big” architecture

For years, AMD used its low-cost/low-power micro-architectures for its accelerated processing units aimed at inexpensive and energy-efficient notebooks and desktops. In 2016, the company plans to use its high-performance “Zen” micro-architecture to build APUs aimed at basic PCs.

amd_fusion_pencil

AMD’s “Basilisk” accelerated processing unit is projected to have thermal design power of only 5-15W, but it is going to pack a punch. With up to two “Zen” cores, a Radeon graphics processing unit powered by next-generation GCN architecture, full HSA 1.0 implementation, an integrated input/output controller as well as AMD TrueAudio and Secure Processor technologies, “Basilisk” will support all the features of its older brother, “Bristol Ridge”.

The chip will be manufactured at GlobalFoundries using its 14nm FinFET process technology, hence, expect decent clock-rates for an ultra-low-power SoC.

AMD’s “Basilisk” APUs will feature FT4 BGA form-factor, like the rest of AMD’s offerings for mobile applications in 2016.

“Styx”: The first implementation of “K12” for client PCs

AMD has been trying to address the market of media tablets with x86-based offerings since 2011, but without a lot of luck with design wins. Next year the company is going to change its strategy.

amd_fusion_chip_logo_processor

AMD’s “Styx” accelerated processing unit will be the company’s first system-on-chip to integrate the its own 64-bit ARMv8-A instruction set-compatible cores. The APU will also contain a Radeon graphics processing unit powered by next-generation GCN architecture, full HSA 1.0 implementation, built-in input/output capabilities as well as Secure Processor technology.

Thermal design power of the chip will be around 2W and the offering will naturally be aimed at tablets, emerging devices (e.g., set-top-boxes with gaming capabilities, game consoles) and ultra-low-voltage hybrids. The SoC will use FT4 BGA form-factor and will be pin-to-pin compatible with “Basilisk” and “Amur” APUs.

Just like other 2016 chips from AMD, “Styx” will be made using 14nm fabrication process at GlobalFoundries.

AMD did not comment on the news-story.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: AMD’s client PC roadmaps for next year look very promising on paper. Hopefully, AMD can execute its plans and actual performance of “Zen” will be as impressive as everyone thinks it is.

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More AMD ‘Zen’ CPU details emerge: quad-core units, inclusive cache, high-speed interconnects https://www.kitguru.net/components/cpu/anton-shilov/more-amd-zen-cpu-details-emerge-quad-core-units-inclusive-cache-high-speed-interconnects/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/cpu/anton-shilov/more-amd-zen-cpu-details-emerge-quad-core-units-inclusive-cache-high-speed-interconnects/#comments Tue, 28 Apr 2015 23:00:15 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=247157 Anonymous insiders from Advanced Micro Devices on Tuesday revealed more details about the company’s upcoming microprocessors based on “Zen” micro-architecture. Just as expected, the new “Zen” central processing units will be dramatically different compared to “Bulldozer” CPUs. Moreover, as it appears, AMD intends to reconsider some of the things that it has not changed for …

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Anonymous insiders from Advanced Micro Devices on Tuesday revealed more details about the company’s upcoming microprocessors based on “Zen” micro-architecture. Just as expected, the new “Zen” central processing units will be dramatically different compared to “Bulldozer” CPUs. Moreover, as it appears, AMD intends to reconsider some of the things that it has not changed for decades.

Based on the slide published on Tuesday, AMD will no longer use dual-core modules with shared floating point unit and some other resources. By contrast, “Zen” cores will be organized in quad-core units that share only L3 cache as well as special high-speed links that are designed to interconnect multiple units together. It is not completely clear why AMD decided to create quad-core units, but, perhaps, the company wants to easily scale amount of cores for different types of microprocessors. For example, server chips would benefit from 8-16 cores, whereas client APUs hardly need more than four x86 cores.

amd_quad_core_zen

Each “Zen” core in the upcoming AMD chips will be equipped with 512KB L2 cache and each quad-core unit will sport 8MB of shared L3 cache. The new microprocessors from AMD will feature fully inclusive cache design, just like Intel CPUs do. Inclusive cache design means that larger caches also include data located in smaller caches (e.g., L2 contains data contained in L1). AMD’s chips have used exclusive cache design since the K6 processors in mid-nineties in a bid to maximize efficiency of its caches. The decision to reconsider cache design is another indicator that “Zen” is a brand-new architecture from AMD.

It is noteworthy that quad-core units do not integrate memory controllers.Potentially, this means that AMD will have flexibility to scale its memory interfaces depending on actual need, not because it adds cores into designs.

Based on unofficial information, AMD’s code-named “Summit Ridge” processors will sport eight “Zen” cores (i.e., two quad-core units), a dual-channel DDR3/DDR4 memory controller and a PCI Express 3.0 x16 controller.

AMD did not comment on the news-story.

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KitGuru Says: In the past couple of days we learned a couple of new things regarding topology and architecture of AMD's upcoming “Zen” processors. Unfortunately, we still have no idea about their performance…

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Diagram of AMD’s ‘Zen’ CPU core leaks: six integer pipes, two 256-bit FPUs [UPDATED] https://www.kitguru.net/components/cpu/anton-shilov/diagram-of-amds-zen-cpu-core-leaks-eight-cores-two-256-bit-fpus-confirmed/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/cpu/anton-shilov/diagram-of-amds-zen-cpu-core-leaks-eight-cores-two-256-bit-fpus-confirmed/#comments Tue, 28 Apr 2015 01:46:47 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=246932 UPDATE: The original story stated that it described an implementation of an AMD microprocessor based on “Zen” micro-architecture. In fact, the story describes one “Zen” core. Although there are a lot of rumours about AMD’s next-generation code-named “Zen” microprocessors, there are not a lot of official or even semi-official details about the chips. On Monday an …

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UPDATE: The original story stated that it described an implementation of an AMD microprocessor based on “Zen” micro-architecture. In fact, the story describes one “Zen” core.

Although there are a lot of rumours about AMD’s next-generation code-named “Zen” microprocessors, there are not a lot of official or even semi-official details about the chips. On Monday an alleged AMD employee posted what appears to be a slide from AMD’s presentation containing a block diagram of one “Zen” microprocessor core.

The block diagram, which details a core of AMD’s “Summit Ridge” microprocessor, reveals that the execution unit will have six integer pipelines as well as two non-shared 256-bit floating point units (FPUs). Previously it was reported that the “Summit Ridge” chip has eight cores, dual-channel DDR4 memory controller as well as 95W thermal design power. The image was published in Planet3DNow.de forums by an anonymous poster.

amd_fusion_apu_chip_1

At present AMD’s FPU features two 128-bit FMAC (fused multiply–add capability) pipelines that can be unified into one large 256-bit-wide unit if one of the integer cores dispatches an AVX instruction. While this approach technically works for AVX and floating-point operations, it is not very efficient: AVX execution is dramatically slower on AMD’s chips compared to Intel’s chips.

amd_zen_official

Two 256-bit FPUs mean that AMD’s future microprocessors based on “Zen” micro-architecture will significantly improve performance in applications that use floating point units as well as heavily rely on AVX instructions. Moreover, theoretically, two 256-bit FPUs could support 512-bit AVX instructions.

AMD did not comment on the news-story.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: It looks like AMD plans to reveal the first official set of details about “Zen” at its financial analyst day next week. It is very likely that in addition to basic things about the new processors, the company will also disclose more details about the CPUs. Given the fact that AMD should already have the first working samples of “Summit Ridge”, it is possible that AMD will also demonstrate the chips in action.

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32-core AMD Opteron to feature quad-die MCM design https://www.kitguru.net/components/cpu/anton-shilov/32-core-amd-opteron-to-feature-quad-die-mcm-design/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/cpu/anton-shilov/32-core-amd-opteron-to-feature-quad-die-mcm-design/#comments Fri, 24 Apr 2015 02:56:24 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=246478 Advanced Micro Devices will continue to use multi-chip-module design for its upcoming AMD Opteron processors. This should greatly help the company to reduce its development and manufacturing costs, but may affect performance of its central processing units for servers. The forthcoming AMD Opteron processors with up to 32 cores based on the “Zen” micro-architecture will …

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Advanced Micro Devices will continue to use multi-chip-module design for its upcoming AMD Opteron processors. This should greatly help the company to reduce its development and manufacturing costs, but may affect performance of its central processing units for servers.

The forthcoming AMD Opteron processors with up to 32 cores based on the “Zen” micro-architecture will consist of up to four eight-core dies known as “Summit Ridge”, reports Fudzilla. Each “Summit Ridge” chip has a dual-channel DDR4 memory controller, therefore, the new Opteron chips will feature an eight-channel memory sub-system. Nowadays AMD uses two eight-core and six-core dies in order to make 16-core and 12-core Opteron processors, respectively. Other developers of server chips, such as IBM, also use MCM approach to build high-end server processors.

amd_opteron_6300_hand

Design of an advanced microprocessor that will be made using a FinFET process technology costs north from $150 million without the cost of photomasks needed for production. It makes a great sense for AMD to use “Summit Ridge” dies for desktops and workstations for its upcoming Opteron chips for servers. However, topology of the new AMD Opteron processors and dual-socket platforms will get very complex because of the multi-die MCM implementation.

Each “Zen” core in the new AMD Opteron systems will have to maintain cache coherency with other cores no matter where they are physically located. As a result, AMD will have to introduce an ultra-high-bandwidth interconnect technology for its upcoming chips that will be fast enough to maintain cache coherency and provide unified memory access to all processing cores.

AMD’s next-generation Opteron processors will feature a land grid array (LGA) packaging as well as up to 140W thermal design power.

AMD did not comment on the news-story.

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KitGuru Says: While it is logical for AMD to build its server chips using desktop-class dies, not everything looks that simple. At least on paper, the topology of AMD’s next-generation dual-socket server platform resembles that of an octa-socket platform based on the company’s HyperTransport technology from 2002-2003. That platform has never made it to the market, even though HyperTranport technology itself is still used (it was renamed to Direct Connect architecture at some point). Perhaps, Jim Keller, the lead architect behind AMD K8 (x86-64) and HyperTransport, decided to give a successor of coherent HyperTransport another try in an ultra-complex platform architecture? Everything is possible at this point, but it remains to be seen how high performance of such platform will be.

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Next-gen AMD Opteron chips to feature up to 32 cores https://www.kitguru.net/components/cpu/anton-shilov/next-gen-amd-opteron-chips-to-feature-up-to-32-cores/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/cpu/anton-shilov/next-gen-amd-opteron-chips-to-feature-up-to-32-cores/#comments Tue, 21 Apr 2015 01:09:40 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=245958 Advanced Micro Devices currently commands less than two per cent of the world’s server CPU market, but next year it plans to start recapturing its share from Intel Corp. with new Opteron microprocessors based on “Zen” micro-architecture. According to a media report, AMD’s next-gen server chips offer unprecedented amount of cores and should be pretty …

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Advanced Micro Devices currently commands less than two per cent of the world’s server CPU market, but next year it plans to start recapturing its share from Intel Corp. with new Opteron microprocessors based on “Zen” micro-architecture. According to a media report, AMD’s next-gen server chips offer unprecedented amount of cores and should be pretty competitive.

AMD’s highest-performing Opteron microprocessors due next year will integrate 32 cores with simultaneous multithreading technology, according to a report from Fudzilla. Each core will feature 512KB L2 cache (16MB L2 cache in total) and the whole chip will also sport 64MB of unified L3 cache. The central processing unit is also projected to have eight DDR4 memory channels capable of handling 256GB of memory per channel.

amd_opteron_6300_g34

At present it is unclear whether the upcoming many-core AMD Opteron products will be monolithic, or will use multi-chip-module (MCM) design like today’s server processors from AMD.

The upcoming AMD Opteron processors will rely on brand-new platform with a new core-logic set. The chipset is projected to support PCI Express 3.0, Serial ATA, four 10Gb Ethernet controllers and so on.

AMD did not comment on the news-story.

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KitGuru Says: 32 core processors should offer loads of advantages for server workloads. Still, it remains to be seen what Intel plans to offer next year. Nowadays the highest-performing Intel Xeon processors carry 18 “Haswell” cores, but in 2016 the company will be able to increase that amount significantly thanks to transition to 14nm process technology.

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Microsoft Windows 10 expected to launch in late July – AMD https://www.kitguru.net/channel/anton-shilov/microsoft-windows-10-expected-to-launch-in-late-july-amd/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/anton-shilov/microsoft-windows-10-expected-to-launch-in-late-july-amd/#comments Sat, 18 Apr 2015 23:03:45 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=245722 Just like many other manufacturers of components of personal computers, Advanced Micro Devices pins a lot of hopes on Microsoft Corp.'s upcoming Windows 10 operating system, the company said during this week's conference call. In addition, AMD revealed what it thinks to be a launch timframe of the next-gen Windows OS: end of July. “What we …

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Just like many other manufacturers of components of personal computers, Advanced Micro Devices pins a lot of hopes on Microsoft Corp.'s upcoming Windows 10 operating system, the company said during this week's conference call. In addition, AMD revealed what it thinks to be a launch timframe of the next-gen Windows OS: end of July.

“What we also are factoring in is, with the Windows 10 launch at the end of July, we are watching the impact of that on the back-to-school season, and expect that it might have a bit of a delay to the normal back-to-school season inventory buildup,” said Lisa Su, chief executive officer of AMD, in the company’s quarterly conference call with investors and financial analysts.

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Even though Microsoft officially said that its new operating system will be available this summer, it has never revealed actual availability timeframe. It is unclear whether Ms. Su disclosed a date when Windows 10-based systems are set to be availabler, or an RTM [release to manufacturing] timeframe for PC makers.

While back in the nineties releases of new Windows operating systems catalysed PC sales, in the 2000s the situation has changed and introductions of Windows Vista, Windows 7 and Windows 8 did not boost sales of hardware significantly.

In addition to Windows 10, the world's second largest supplier of x86 central processing units expects that it's code-named “Carrizo” as well as Radeon R9 300-series graphics cards will improve its sales.

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KitGuru Says: It will be interesting to see whether Windows 10 will actully catalyse sales of PCs. While there is a lot of talk about benefits for PC enthusiasts and gamers, actual advantages are yet to be seen.

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AMD delays its first ARM-based Opteron ‘Seattle’ CPU to 2H 2015 https://www.kitguru.net/components/cpu/anton-shilov/amd-delays-its-first-arm-based-opteron-seattle-cpu-to-second-half-of-2015/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/cpu/anton-shilov/amd-delays-its-first-arm-based-opteron-seattle-cpu-to-second-half-of-2015/#comments Fri, 17 Apr 2015 18:10:53 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=245625 Advanced Micro Devices this week confirmed that it plans to start volume shipments of its first 64-bit ARMv8-A-based Opteron microprocessor code-named “Seattle” in the second half of this year, which represents a massive one year postponement. The reasons of the delay are unclear, it is also unknown whether AMD has lost any revenue opportunities because …

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Advanced Micro Devices this week confirmed that it plans to start volume shipments of its first 64-bit ARMv8-A-based Opteron microprocessor code-named “Seattle” in the second half of this year, which represents a massive one year postponement. The reasons of the delay are unclear, it is also unknown whether AMD has lost any revenue opportunities because of it.

“We continue to sample Seattle and customers are continuing to develop both systems and software,” said Lisa Su, chief executive officer of AMD, in the company’s quarterly conference call with investors and financial analysts. “Relative to the production ramp for volume shipments, I think we will see that in the second half of this year.”

amd_opteron_a1100_seattle_pres_whd_2015

The AMD Opteron A1100 system-on-chip code-named “Seattle” is AMD’s first server-class solution based on the 64-bit ARMv8-A architecture. The SoC packs up to eight ARM Cortex-A57 general-purpose cores with up to 4MB shared L2 cache and 8MB shared L3 cache as well as numerous special-purpose engines for better power efficiency and reduced CPU loading, including server caliber encryption, and compression. The central processing unit sports server-class dual-channel memory controller that supports up to 128GB of DDR3 or DDR4 ECC memory in un-buffered DIMMs, registered DIMMs or SODIMMs. In addition, the AMD Opteron A1100 processor has extensive integrated I/O, including eight PCI Express 3.0 lanes, two 10Gb/s Ethernet ports, eight Serial ATA-3.0 ports as well as now-obsolete Freedom fabric. The chips are manufacturing using an unknown 28nm process technology.

amd_opteron_a1100_seattle_pres_whd_2015_1

Originally, AMD planned to ship its Opteron A1100 “Seattle” in the second half of 2014. However, in mid-2014 the company only started to sell “Seattle” software development kits to interested parties. So far only MicroStar International (MSI), SoftIron and Wiwynn (a division of Wistron) expressed interest in making servers based on the Opteron A1100. Still the chip is probably evaluated by all owners of hyperscale cloud datacenters, such as AWS, Google, Facebook and other. Those, who plan to deploy the AMD Opteron A1100, need to develop appropriate software first because the vast majority of server apps today were designed to run on microprocessors featuring x86 architecture.

amd_opteron_a1100_seattle_pres_whd_2015_2

Since software development typically takes a long time, demand for AMD’s “Seattle” processor today may be negligible, which is why the company does not initiate high-volume manufacturing. Nevertheless, while “Seattle” may not be needed by the market today, the big question is whether it will face massive demand in the second half of the year from the server makers given availability of competing solutions in the 2H 2015.

amd_opteron_a1100_seattle_mainboards

Cavium Networks is currently sampling its ThunderX server-class system-on-chip solutions with 24 to 48 custom ARMv8-A cores; quad-channel DDR3/DDR4 memory controller (up to 76.8GB/s bandwidth at 1866MHz) that supports up to 1TB of memory; integrated hardware accelerators for security, storage, networking and virtualization applications; feature-rich I/Os capabilities (10/40GbE ports, SATA ports, PCI Express) and even SMP [symmetrical multiprocessing] support. At least on paper, Cavium’s ThunderX looks very competitive. In fact, Cray, Lenovo and Hewlett-Packard have shown interest in the ThunderX. Moreover, Cray announced a plan to deliver Cray Cluster Solutions for the high-performance computing market using ThunderX. Cavium’s ThunderX will be available in high-volume in late 2015.

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KitGuru Says: It looks like the AMD Opteron A1100 “Seattle” will be mostly a software development vehicle that will hardly be deployed widely. It is highly likely that successors of the “Seattle” will not only feature more cores, but also a lot of special-purpose hardware (i.e., accelerators) and custom logic for particular customers.

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AMD makes ‘significant investments’ in server CPUs https://www.kitguru.net/components/cpu/anton-shilov/amd-makes-significant-investments-in-standard-and-custom-server-cpus/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/cpu/anton-shilov/amd-makes-significant-investments-in-standard-and-custom-server-cpus/#comments Fri, 17 Apr 2015 11:46:10 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=245541 Advanced Micro Devices continues to express confidence that its next-generation high-performance general-purpose processing cores – known as “K12” and “Zen” – will be successful on the market of servers. After exiting the market of micro-servers by shutting down SeaMicro, AMD now focuses on development of high-performance microprocessors for x86 and ARM-powered machines. “The x86 server …

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Advanced Micro Devices continues to express confidence that its next-generation high-performance general-purpose processing cores – known as “K12” and “Zen” – will be successful on the market of servers. After exiting the market of micro-servers by shutting down SeaMicro, AMD now focuses on development of high-performance microprocessors for x86 and ARM-powered machines.

“The x86 server market is a very large market and it is one, where we have historically been successful,” said Lisa Su, chief executive officer of AMD, in the company’s quarterly conference call with investors and financial analysts. “I do believe that it is an area that we can grow over the mid-term.”

AMD is expected to release server-class Opteron processors based on “Zen” and “K12” cores in 2016. Nothing particular is known about these upcoming Opteron chips except of the fact that they will be made using 14nm or 16nm FinFET process technologies. AMD claims that it is increasing investments in its enterprise, embedded and semi-custom (EESC) business unit in order to develop appropriate solutions for servers. Keeping in mind the fact that design of FinFET chips alone costs tens to hundreds millions of dollars – roughly three times more than design of chips with planar transistors – AMD simply has to increase its investments in order to develop its new server chips.

amd_opteron_6300_hand

AMD realizes that in the modern world many owners of large cloud datacenters, such as Amazon Web Services or Facebook, require semi-custom and full-custom chips to run their servers. As a result, in addition to developing standard processors, the company is also designing special-purpose hardware blocks (e.g., hardware accelerators for security, storage, networking and virtualization applications), which could be used for semi-custom system-on-chips for servers.

“We are making significant investments in standard server processors as well as in the IP for semicustom opportunities,” added Ms. Su. “Think of it as x86, ARM, the other technologies required to make competitive server products.”

Although AMD continues to talk about its server opportunities, it does not reveal any particular plans about its new Opteron chips, such as availability timeframes. All we know about AMD’s server strategy today is that the company wants to address cloud and enterprise datacenters as well as networking segments with standard and semi-custom products.

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KitGuru Says: AMD is expected to reveal more details about its server and, possibly, high-performance CPU, strategy in May at its financial analysts day event. Hopefully, in about three weeks we’ll learn more details about its Opteron chips featuring “Zen” and “K12” cores.

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AMD to focus on high-performance server CPUs, abandons SeaMicro https://www.kitguru.net/components/cpu/anton-shilov/amd-to-focus-on-high-performance-server-cpus-abandons-seamicro/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/cpu/anton-shilov/amd-to-focus-on-high-performance-server-cpus-abandons-seamicro/#comments Thu, 16 Apr 2015 23:27:00 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=245486 Advanced Micro Devices on Thursday said that as a part of the strategy to simplify and sharpen the company’s investment focus, AMD would exist the micro-server systems business, which was formerly known as SeaMicro. The company will retain SeaMicro’s Freedom fabric and other intellectual property, but will cease to invest in development of dense servers. …

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Advanced Micro Devices on Thursday said that as a part of the strategy to simplify and sharpen the company’s investment focus, AMD would exist the micro-server systems business, which was formerly known as SeaMicro. The company will retain SeaMicro’s Freedom fabric and other intellectual property, but will cease to invest in development of dense servers. Instead, it will focus on high-performance server CPUs.

When AMD acquired SeaMicro for $334 million in early 2012, it was a rather bold move since the company was not making any money back then and the market of micro-servers was not something significant as well. SeaMicro was known for its Intel Atom and low-power Xeon-based servers and had Freedom fabric, a technology that simplifies building ultra-dense servers. Back then it seemed that SeaMicro had a lot of prospects, but since the market of micro-servers has never really taken off and AMD has not introduced a single new SeaMicro product in three years, sales of its dense servers dropped dramatically in the recent quarters.

amd_seamicro_announcement

Since SeaMicro did not bring AMD any significant money, but still had operational and R&D costs, the chip designer decided that it was time to abandon the business unit. The latter was not sold to another company and was not spun off, AMD simply decided to shut SeaMicro down, but to retain its intellectual property, which may be used eventually for the company’s platforms for various servers.

“At the corporate level, we continue aligning larger portions of our R&D investments to take advantage of long-term growth opportunities across our EESC segment,” said Lisa Su, chief executive officer of AMD, during the company’s quarterly conference call with investors and financial analysts. “As we prioritize our R&D investments and simplify our business, we made the decision in the first quarter to exit the dense server systems business as we increase investments in our server processor development.”

seamicro_technology

One interesting this to note is that not only AMD is increasing its spending on development of server-class microprocessors, but it is also focusing on high-performance x86 and ARM central processing units (i.e., Zen and K12).

“We see very strong opportunities for next-generation, high-performance x86 and ARM processors for the enterprise, datacenter, and infrastructure markets and we will continue to invest strongly in these areas,” added Mr. Kumar.

While it is great to see that AMD is increasing investments in high-performance microprocessors, it should be pointed out that AMD simply has to boost spending on design of future both CPUs and GPUs. Design of chips to be made using FinFET process technologies costs around three times more than design of ICs made using a thin planar process technologies (e.g., 32nm, 28nm, etc.). When a company has to spend $80 – $100 million on one chip design instead of $30 – $40 million before, this firm has to increase its budgets. In AMD’s case this means abandoning businesses that make little sense and dropping projects that are not vital.

As a result of the decision of to shutter SeaMicro, AMD recorded $75 million of special charges in Q1 2015, primarily related to impairment of previously acquired intangible assets, of which $7 million will be paid in cash.

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KitGuru Says: Keeping in mind that AMD has not released any new SeaMicro product since 2012, shutting down the server maker is hardly a negative event for the industry. The big question is how this reflects the prospects of micro-servers in general. It seems that such machines with low-power microprocessors are not exactly getting popular. Moreover, a bunch of chip designers ceased to develop ARM-based server-class system-on-chips for micro-servers in the recent quarters. As it turns out, micro-server market is shrinking even before micro-servers became mainstream and any kind of competition started…

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AMD unveils CPU and GPU roadmaps for the next five years https://www.kitguru.net/components/anton-shilov/amd-unveils-cpu-and-gpu-roadmaps-for-the-next-five-years/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/anton-shilov/amd-unveils-cpu-and-gpu-roadmaps-for-the-next-five-years/#comments Tue, 31 Mar 2015 01:37:28 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=242830 Advanced Micro Devices has demonstrated its roadmaps for the next five years. While the company did not disclose almost any details about its future products, it is important that AMD actually has plans that can be executed. AMD’s Junji Hayashi demonstrated a number of slides revealing the company’s roadmaps at the PC Cluster Consortium event …

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Advanced Micro Devices has demonstrated its roadmaps for the next five years. While the company did not disclose almost any details about its future products, it is important that AMD actually has plans that can be executed.

AMD’s Junji Hayashi demonstrated a number of slides revealing the company’s roadmaps at the PC Cluster Consortium event in Osaka, Japan, reports MyNavi. The presentation confirms that the company has plans for ten years down the road. AMD will continue to develop central processing units, graphics processing units and hybrid accelerated processing units, just like today.

amd_roadmap_update_2015

AMD will keep on releasing all-new graphics processing units every 1.5 – 2 years, like it does nowadays. The company will upgrade its APUs with new general purpose cores as well as graphics processing cores. Sometimes in 2018 – 2019 the company’s APUs will be so advanced that they will offer multi TFLOPS performance. The company also plans to offer APUs for high-performance computing markets.

amd_roadmap_update_2015_1

It is interesting to note that AMD will not cease development of classic microprocessors without graphics cores. While the company did not disclose details about its chips featuring next-generation Zen and K12 cores, it did imply that they will feature a technology akin to Intel’s Hyper-Threading.

The Sunnyvale, California-based chip designer also reaffirmed plans to develop pin-to-pin compatible system-on-chips with ARM or x86 cores. As reported, AMD’s “Skybridge” accelerated processing units with ARM Cortex-A57 or Puma+ cores are designed for various consumer applications, including notebooks, tablets and 2-in-1s.

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KitGuru Says: While it is nice to see that AMD has plans for the future, it would be great to learn actual details about its forthcoming products and analyse how competitive will they be against those offered by Intel and Nvidia.

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Samsung rumoured to consider buying Advanced Micro Devices https://www.kitguru.net/components/graphic-cards/anton-shilov/samsung-rumoured-to-consider-buying-advanced-micro-devices/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/graphic-cards/anton-shilov/samsung-rumoured-to-consider-buying-advanced-micro-devices/#comments Thu, 26 Mar 2015 12:44:25 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=242035 Advanced Micro Devices faces hard times these days as sales of its central processing units and graphics processing units have been hitting new lows for many quarters. As a result, rumours about possible acquisitions of AMD resurrect. Samsung Electronics, the world’s largest maker of semiconductors, is considering to acquire Advanced Micro Devices to better compete …

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Advanced Micro Devices faces hard times these days as sales of its central processing units and graphics processing units have been hitting new lows for many quarters. As a result, rumours about possible acquisitions of AMD resurrect.

Samsung Electronics, the world’s largest maker of semiconductors, is considering to acquire Advanced Micro Devices to better compete against Apple, Intel Corp., Nvidia Corp., Qualcomm and other rivals, reports Hankooki. The takeover could be beneficial for both AMD and Samsung, but there are many roadblocks for the merger.

amd_headquarters

Samsung Electronics is one of the largest companies in the world with interests in many industries. The company has installed semiconductor production capacity of around one million 300mm wafers per month, which is considerably more than Intel and TSMC combined. In a bid to differentiate on the market of smartphones, PCs, wearable electronics and various emerging devices like smartglasses or virtual reality headsets, Samsung needs its own intellectual property, such as microprocessors, graphics processing units and so on. The company has around $56 billion in its pockets just for acquisitions, it can afford almost any fabless developer of chips.

Advanced Micro Devices has been trying to reinvent itself for years, but so far without a lot of luck. The company’s revenues have been decreasing steadily for years, just like research and development budgets. As a consequence, it gets increasingly hard for AMD to compete against Intel and Nvidia Corp., two of its arch-rivals on the markets of CPUs and GPUs.

amd_lone_star_campus

AMD licenses the x86 instruction set as well as a number of other vital microprocessor technologies from Intel. Under the terms of the cross-licensing agreement between the two companies, control over either companies cannot be changed. Once AMD or Intel is acquired by a third party, the pact is automatically terminated and the new owner will have to renegotiate it, or stop to make x86 or x86-64 central processing units (depending on which of the two is acquired).

It is not the first time when rumours about AMD acquisition by Samsung, Oracle and other potential buyers emerge. Earlier this year it transpired that Advanced Micro Devices could be acquired by Chinese BLX IC Design Corp. Then, it was reported that China’s Loongson Technology, a microprocessor manufacturer controlled by BLX IC Design, the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Institute of Computing Technology, was set to make strategic investments in AMD’s technologies and product lines.

AMD and Samsung did not comment on the news-story.

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KitGuru Says: AMD has a lot of intellectual property that would fit Samsung perfectly. Unfortunately for the latter, to build x86 microprocessors it needs a license from Intel, which is something the company of Samsung’s size will hardly get. On the other hand, does Samsung need x86 at all? Clearly yes, if it wants to compete against Intel on the market of microprocessors for PCs and servers. But what if Samsung simply needs an excellent CPU and GPU development teams along with IP to create chips for its smartphones, tablets, wearables and so on? If this is the case, an ARM license is more than enough…

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AMD develops custom server microprocessor for Facebook – source https://www.kitguru.net/components/cpu/anton-shilov/amd-develops-custom-server-microprocessor-for-facebook-source/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/cpu/anton-shilov/amd-develops-custom-server-microprocessor-for-facebook-source/#comments Tue, 17 Mar 2015 15:04:10 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=240501 Advanced Micro Devices is working on a server-class system-on-chip (SoC) for Facebook. While not a lot of details are known about the microprocessor today, if Facebook adopts the chip for its datacentres, it will be a major revenue opportunity for AMD. As Facebook’s infrastructure has scaled, the company ran into situation when it needed custom …

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Advanced Micro Devices is working on a server-class system-on-chip (SoC) for Facebook. While not a lot of details are known about the microprocessor today, if Facebook adopts the chip for its datacentres, it will be a major revenue opportunity for AMD.

As Facebook’s infrastructure has scaled, the company ran into situation when it needed custom hardware to meet the needs of its vast datacentres. In a bid to develop such hardware, Facebook established Open Compute Project (OCP) and teamed up with numerous industry leaders in hardware design. The OCP develops various components, but so far the industry group has not really created any final specification of a complete server platform.

While elements of the OCP are used by Facebook and other participants to build new datacentres, in many cases hyper-scale datacentres continue to use a lot of custom tailor-made hardware, which includes microprocessors. It is not a secret that companies like Facebook, Amazon Web Services and other buy optimized versions of chips from Intel and AMD. However, it is also known that both chipmakers are designing full-custom central processing units (CPUs) for large clients. Apparently, this is exactly what AMD is doing for Facebook.

amd_opteron_chips

According to a source with knowledge of the project, AMD is developing a custom Opteron server processor for Facebook. Few details are known about the chip today. What is known is that it is based on 64-bit ARMv8-A architecture and is designed by AMD’s Enterprise Embedded and Semi-Custom (EESC) business group.

It is still a mystery whether the ARM-based system-on-chip is powered by AMD’s own K12 high-performance core due in 2016 or ARM’s off-the-shelf Cortex-A57 or A72 cores. However, keeping in mind that this is going to be a full-custom CPU, expect it to feature special-purpose intellectual property from Facebook (e.g., accelerators, instructions, links, etc.) custom I/O configuration and various other ways to tailor the SoC for Facebook’s workloads.

Since Facebook runs hundreds of thousands of servers, just one contract with this company could bring a significant amount of money to struggling AMD. Keeping in mind that Facebook pays for development of the SoC (which is a general term of AMD’s semi-custom business approach), the situation seems to be quite good for the Sunnyvale, California-based chip designer.

Nowadays AMD sells less than 2 per cent of the world’s server processors, whereas the lion’s share of such CPUs is shipped by Intel Corp. Several contracts with companies like Facebook could significantly improve the company’s positions and balance sheet.

amd_interlagos_bulldozer_opteron_demo

AMD does not comment on future EESC projects, but over a number of months the company has implied on multiple occasions that its semi-custom business was about to expand beyond video gaming market. At present, the main customers of EESC are Microsoft Corp. and Sony Corp., who buy system-on-chips for their Xbox One and PlayStation 4 consoles from AMD.

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KitGuru Says: While it is nice to see that AMD’s server processors are still needed by the market, do not expect financial breakthroughs for the company in the short-term future. Long-term success of AMD depends on success of Zen and K12 micro-architectures, but we have no idea about their potential. We do know that Jim Keller, the man in charge of development of both processing technologies, is also behind Apple’s Cyclone cores, the world’s most powerful ARMv8-A cores that even manage to challenge Intel’s “Silvermont”. Nonetheless, this does not automatically mean that the K12 will be a triumph. Still, if Facebook-specific SoC is indeed K12-based, then the contract between AMD and the Internet giant could be an early indicator of renaissance for the chip designer.

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AMD: We will actively promote ‘Zen’ processors for server market https://www.kitguru.net/components/cpu/anton-shilov/amd-we-will-actively-promote-zen-processors-for-server-market/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/cpu/anton-shilov/amd-we-will-actively-promote-zen-processors-for-server-market/#comments Thu, 05 Mar 2015 03:24:44 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=238677 Advanced Micro Devices now commands only about 2 or 3 per cent of the server market because of various reasons and the company is not going to regain its positions with the current Opteron offerings. Nonetheless, the chip designer seems to pin a lot of hopes on its “Zen” micro-architecture and will actively try to …

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Advanced Micro Devices now commands only about 2 or 3 per cent of the server market because of various reasons and the company is not going to regain its positions with the current Opteron offerings. Nonetheless, the chip designer seems to pin a lot of hopes on its “Zen” micro-architecture and will actively try to re-enter the server market with its future chips.

“We are working very actively with our customers in the server business to introduce [Zen-based] part in the 2016 timeframe,” said Devinder Kumar at Morgan Stanley technology, media and telecom conference.

amd_opteron_chips

Back in February it was reported that AMD planned to release server microprocessors powered by the “Zen” micro-architecture first and only then unveil consumer versions of such chips. The company traditionally did so for many years, therefore, the approach is not exactly something new.

AMD understands server business pretty well since it was quite successful with its Opteron processors in mid-2000s. The company knows that it is impossible to gain share of server market by just dropping prices of central processing units, hence, AMD is working with industry partners in a bid to ensure that infrastructure for its chips is there when it is needed. Before launching new server CPUs, AMD and its allies need to design core-logic sets, mainboards, platforms, actual servers and many other things. The fact that AMD’s CFO mentions that means that the company is indeed preparing to release something which it expects to be competitive. Unfortunately, the CPU developer shares no exact plans or technical details about its upcoming projects.

“We know the server business earlier from our history, going back to the Opteron days; we know the x86, we know 64-bit and the [Zen] core will come in 2016, the new core for the traditional x86 server space and then revenue thereafter,” said Mr. Kumar. “But it is still a little while before we get there. But we will have a core then.”

amd_server-room_opteron

Earlier it was reported that the first CPU to use “Zen” for client PCs will be the code-named “Summit Ridge” chip. The processor is projected to integrate up to eight cores, a DDR4 memory controller, a PCI Express 3.0 controller and feature up to 95W thermal design power. It is likely that the central processing unit will be made using 14nm FinFET process technology by GlobalFoundries or Samsung Electronics. Based on unofficial information, AMD’s “Summit Ridge” processors will hit the market in the third quarter of 2016.

Although server chips powered by “Zen” micro-architecture are expected to hit the market earlier than desktop CPUs featuring the same technology, nothing is known about them. AMD could place two “Summit Ridge” dies one slice of substrate to get a 16-core microprocessor (like it does today with Opterons), or just create a monolithic 16-core die.

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KitGuru Says: When AMD was preparing to launch its Opteron processor in 2003, it released loads of details about the Opteron platforms as well as the HyperTransport technology in 2002. This time AMD does not reveal anything and generally remains mum, which is a bit alarming.

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AMD details ‘Carrizo’: High-density design, lowered power consumption https://www.kitguru.net/components/cpu/anton-shilov/amd-details-carrizo-high-density-design-lowered-power-consumption/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/cpu/anton-shilov/amd-details-carrizo-high-density-design-lowered-power-consumption/#respond Tue, 24 Feb 2015 16:02:36 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=237258 At the International Solid-State Circuits Conference 2015 Advanced Micro Devices unveiled the first official details regarding its code-named “Carrizo” accelerated processing units. As reported, the new chips are aimed specifically at notebooks and therefore were designed from the ground up to be extremely power efficient and integrate all functionality possible. AMD “Carrizo” accelerated processing units …

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At the International Solid-State Circuits Conference 2015 Advanced Micro Devices unveiled the first official details regarding its code-named “Carrizo” accelerated processing units. As reported, the new chips are aimed specifically at notebooks and therefore were designed from the ground up to be extremely power efficient and integrate all functionality possible.

AMD “Carrizo” accelerated processing units feature four x86 cores based on the “Excavator” micro-architecture, the pinnacle of “Bulldozer” family evolution, Radeon R7 graphics processing unit with 512 stream processors featuring GCN 1.2 architecture, advanced multimedia engine with hardware 4K/UHD video decoding, a dual-channel DDR3 memory controller as well as an built-in I/O controller. The “Carrizo” is the first APU to comply with heterogeneous system architecture (HSA) 1.0 specification, therefore, eventually it will take maximum advantage of GPU-accelerated programs. AMD “Carrizo” APUs contain 3.1 billion of transistors, 29 per cent more than “Kaveri”, but its die size is similar to that of the predecessor, whereas its power consumption is significantly lower. To archive that, AMD had to use a number of tricks.

amd_presentation_carrizo_1

Although both “Kaveri” and “Carrizo” are made using 28nm process technology, the former relies on GlobalFoundries’ 28SHP (28nm super high performance) fabrication tech that is designed for the highest clock-rates. In a bid to enable extreme frequencies, high-performance chip design libraries decrease transistor density, which results in bigger chips. While it is unknown which process technology is used to make “Carrizo”, it is known that AMD used high-density chip design libraries (HDL) for the chip. According to the company, usage of high density libraries and automated design methods (akin to those used for graphics processing units) helped the company to reduce sizes of “Excavator” cores by 23 per cent compared to “Steamroller” cores inside “Kaveri” and reduce their power consumption by whopping 40 per cent.

amd_presentation_carrizo_2

Usage of high-density libraries and automated design decreased the number of metallic layers inside “Carrizo” from 13 to nine, which also helps to cut-down power consumption and reduce leakages. Moreover, according to AMD, it used more high Vt transistors for the GPU part of the accelerated processing unit to reduce GPU power leakage and therefore reduce power consumption of the whole chip. This is not something really surprising since high VT transistors have always been used for mobile GPUs in general, only this time we are talking about far heavier usage of them in certain parts of the APU.

amd_presentation_carrizo_3

Design methodology, high-density libraries and possible transition to a different fabrication process are not the only things that AMD has done to cut down power consumption of “Carrizo”. The new APU is the first in a series of hybrid chips that contain a number of technologies designed to make microprocessors more energy efficient.

amd_presentation_carrizo_4

First of all, “Carrizo” incorporates voltage adaptive operation, or, adaptive voltage and frequency scaling (AVFS), which, when applied to both CPU and GPU in the APU results in 19 per cent and 10 per cent power savings respectively. AVFS modules (there are ten of such modules per “Excavator” core) monitor various aspects of chip’s condition (temperature, voltage, etc.) to adjust frequency and voltages in real-time. Essentially, AVFS reduces the typical operating voltage for a given frequency by adapting to per-part and environmental conditions, which reduces leakage and active switching power. While AVFS hardly brings a lot of benefits at high TDPs, the technology helps to reduce consumption at relatively limited thermal envelopes at given performance. In short, “Carrizo” will show its best at 15W – 20W. The chip itself is unable to work at extreme frequencies and AVFS will not provide advantages at 30W and beyond.

amd_presentation_carrizo_5

Another innovation that will reduce power consumption of “Carrizo” based notebooks is a new S0i3 power state, which achieves the same power level as the S3 state (standby), but without requiring intervention of the operating system, which means that it can be activated on the fly under the control of power management at sub-second time frames. While this may not dramatically reduce power consumption, it clearly makes the APU less power hungry.

amd_presentation_carrizo_6

While the density of integration and drastic measures to improve power efficiency of “Carrizo” are nothing, but impressive, when it comes to pure performance, not everything is that rosy. The “Excavator” x86 cores deliver only 5 per cent higher IPC compared to “Steamroller”. While the cores got smaller and more power efficient, this is a result of usage of HDL, AVFS and automated design. Despite expectations several years ago, the “Excavator” continues to have a weak floating point unit (FPU) consisting of two 128-bit FMACs, which are considerably slower than Intel’s contemporary 256-bit FPU. Therefore, even if AMD decides to create a high-performance design with “Excavator” cores, such chip will hardly deliver competitive performance since the amount of performance-related improvements compared to “Steamroller” seems to be limited. While the “Carrizo” may be a great APU for low-power mobile devices, it will not scale beyond that market. Therefore, if you demand high performance from AMD, wait for the company’s  new “Zen” micro-architecture to arrive in 2016. However, if you want an AMD-based ultrabook or 2-in-1, “Carrizo” is a great thing to look at.

amd_presentation_carrizo_7

Thanks to maximum integration, AMD “Carrizo” should help notebook makers to simplify their designs and cut-down their costs. Since “Carrizo” is pin-to-pin compatible with lower-cost “Carrizo-L”, this will also increase flexibility of laptop platforms. That flexibility translates into lower prices, but not necessarily into thinner and sleeker chassis, but AMD needs to just retain its share on the market of notebooks, not bring breakthroughs. Therefore, it will not be a problem for the company if higher-end “Carrizo” ends up in chassis designed for lower-end “Carrizo-L”.

In general, AMD’s “Carrizo” looks like an interesting APU. The developer seems to pin a lot of hopes on heterogeneous system architecture (HSA) capabilities of the platform to deliver required performance to applications that really need it. In fact, AMD has pinned most of its hopes on HSA-enabled programs for a while now, which is why it has not really tried to address performance issues of “Bulldozer”, which were evident to it back in late 2010. The advances that AMD has made with its “Carrizo” show that the company still can improve its microprocessors, which is a good thing in general.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: The big question is how competitive will AMD’s “Carrizo” chips be against Intel Corp.’s chips with similar power requirements. To be precise, which 15W – 20W system-on-chip will be faster in real-world applications. That’s the question that we will be able to answer in the coming months, when AMD finally releases its “Carrizo” chips commercially.

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AMD’s ‘Zen’ could sport Intel’s ‘Skylake’ features, new 512-bit FPU – rumours https://www.kitguru.net/components/cpu/anton-shilov/amds-zen-could-sport-intels-skylake-technologies-new-512-bit-fpu-rumours/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/cpu/anton-shilov/amds-zen-could-sport-intels-skylake-technologies-new-512-bit-fpu-rumours/#comments Sat, 21 Feb 2015 15:53:46 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=236912 Although microprocessors based on AMD’s next-generation high-performance micro-architecture code-named “Zen” are more than a year away, some details regarding the forthcoming chips and “Zen” in general are beginning to surface. The most recent rumours about the new architecture add some technical details and point to release schedule of the new chips. As reported, the first …

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Although microprocessors based on AMD’s next-generation high-performance micro-architecture code-named “Zen” are more than a year away, some details regarding the forthcoming chips and “Zen” in general are beginning to surface. The most recent rumours about the new architecture add some technical details and point to release schedule of the new chips.

As reported, the first central processing units to use “Zen” for client PCs will be the code-named “Summit Ridge” chip that is expected to feature up to eight cores, a DDR4 memory controller, a PCI Express 3.0 controller and up to 95W thermal design power. It is projected that the chip will be made using 14nm FinFET process technology by GlobalFoundries or Samsung Electronics. Based on unofficial information, AMD’s “Summit Ridge” processors will hit the market in the third quarter of 2016.

amd_fusion_apu_chip_1

Servers first

WccfTech reports citing its own sources that with “Zen” AMD will return to its traditional practice of introducing server processors powered by the latest micro-architectures first and then follow with chips for client PCs. There are no exact schedules given, but taking into account relatively slow ramp up of server processors and platforms by server makers, if AMD wants to find its new Opteron chips in 2016 servers in more or less significant quantities, it will have to introduce its new CPUs in the first half of the year.

amd_server-room

Since eight cores inside the “Summit Ridge” are not enough for modern servers, AMD will either continue to use multi-chip-module design for Opteron processors based on “Zen” architecture next year and onwards (to get a many-core CPU out of two multi-core dies), or will make a separate multi-core design specifically for servers. In fact, AMD has had a technology to build “native” 16-core Opteron processors featuring “Bulldozer”-class dual-core modules for quite a while, but it is unknown whether it will use it even for its forthcoming chips featuring the new micro-architecture.

amd_opteron_chips

Keeping in mind that actual x86 cores are not large and the fact that AMD will utilize 14nm FinFET process tech (albeit with 20nm BEOL interconnect flow and hence appropriate geometries) to make “Zen”-based products, it is possible that AMD will go for native many-core design for server processors if the cores are compact enough and the company finds this a viable and cost-effective solution.

“Skylake” instructions inside “Zen” point to a new FPU

The new micro-architecture from AMD promises to be very different from the company’s current-generation “Bulldozer”-class designs, but almost nothing is known about “Zen” outside of Advanced Micro Devices at present. Without providing any details, the aforementioned media report claims that the new architecture features certain technologies found in the upcoming Intel “Skylake” processors.

Keeping in mind that AMD cannot copy Intel’s designs or even parts of it (in accordance with its x86 cross-license agreement with Intel), do not expect AMD to incorporate any of Intel’s micro-architectural know-hows into its chips. However, what AMD can do is to implement any x86/x87 extensions, enhancements as well as various new instructions introduced by Intel in its central processing units. Intel can do the same too, just like it did with x86-64 more than a decade ago. While we do not know all peculiarities of “Skylake”, many official and semi-official revelations indicate that the new micro-architecture from Intel will bring support of such technologies as AVX 3.2 (512-bit instructions), SHA extensions (SHA-1 and SHA-256, secure hash algorithms), MPX (memory protection extensions), ADX (multi-precision add-carry instruction extensions) and other innovations. AMD has rights to incorporate all of them into its micro-architectures, which it will likely do eventually.

intel_cpu_mic_roadmap

If AMD proceeds with implementation of AVX 3.2 technology, it will have to develop a brand-new floating-point unit (FPU) to execute 512-bit instructions. At present AMD’s FPU features two 128-bit FMAC (fused multiply–add capability) pipelines that can be unified into one large 256-bit-wide unit if one of the integer cores dispatches an AVX instruction. While this approach technically works for AVX and floating-point operations (but AVX execution is dramatically slower on AMD's chips compared to Intel's chips), the AVX 2 further expands usage of most vector integer SSE and AVX instructions to 256 bits, which normally requires a new FPU. 512-bit AVX 3.2 instructions will entail further refinements of hardware, therefore, AMD’s “Zen”, if it supports AVX 3.2, will need an all-new FPU that will hardly resemble that of the “Bulldozer”. Basically, if AMD does not want to repeat the same mistakes it has done with “Bulldozer”, it will need a fully-fledged 512-bit FPU in “Zen” microprocessors. Otherwise, execution of 512-bit AVX 3.2 instructions will be awfully slow.

Summing up

The fact that AMD plans to first release Opteron chips featuring “Zen” cores and only then integrate its new cores into consumer products indicates that the company expects a lot from the micro-architecture which development is currently led by Jim Keller, a legendary CPU architect.

If AMD’s forthcoming “Zen” technology supports everything (or even the majority of) instructions introduced by Intel’s “Skylake” processors in the second half of next year, this will be a significant leap for AMD.

amd_apu_beema_mullins_puma_jaguar_x86_fusion

When it comes to performance, it is logical to expect a substantial increase of performance from AMD’s forthcoming microprocessors. At present we have no idea from where performance improvements will come from exactly. However, a new “fat” FPU in 2016 is not only a logical thing to expect, but rather a must have feature.

AMD did not comment on the news-story.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Keep in mind that many of the things discussed here are speculations based on reports from unofficial sources. We do not know for sure that AMD plans to support AVX-512 in any form next year, we also have no idea which segments of the server market the company would like to address with its Opteron “Zen” processors first in 2016. All-in-all, take everything with a grain of salt.

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Analysts: It makes no sense to buy AMD, it seems right to invest in it https://www.kitguru.net/components/anton-shilov/analyst-it-makes-no-sense-to-buy-amd-but-it-seems-right-to-invest-in-it/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/anton-shilov/analyst-it-makes-no-sense-to-buy-amd-but-it-seems-right-to-invest-in-it/#comments Thu, 12 Feb 2015 01:14:44 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=235270 Rumours about takeover of Advanced Micro Devices surface pretty frequently and given the current financial woes of the company, it was only a matter of time before they emerge once again. But while it is unlikely that AMD will be purchased by any other company, it is possible that the company will get an investment …

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Rumours about takeover of Advanced Micro Devices surface pretty frequently and given the current financial woes of the company, it was only a matter of time before they emerge once again. But while it is unlikely that AMD will be purchased by any other company, it is possible that the company will get an investment from a third-party.

In the recent weeks a number of reports emerged claiming once again that Advanced Micro Devices could be acquired by Chinese BLX IC Design Corp. Various rumours about possible acquisition of AMD emerge rather regularly, but in most cases they are completely baseless since it is impossible to take over AMD and its key technologies. However, it looks like the new management of the company has found a way to get money from an external source without taking a loan or selling the company off.

amd_lone_star_campus

Since AMD licenses the x86 instruction set as well as a number of other crucially important technologies from Intel Corp., the control of AMD cannot be changed. Once it is, the cross-license agreement between AMD and Intel is automatically terminated and the new owner will have to renegotiate it, or lose the ability to make x86 chips. Therefore, it is almost impossible that AMD will be purchased by any company, including Chinese-government controlled BLX.

“Although BLX has partnered with AMD in the past, we believe such a takeover is highly unlikely,” wrote Christopher Danely, an analyst with Citigroup, in a note to clients, reports Tech Trader Daily. “Any company that acquires AMD would have to renegotiate the x86 cross-licensing agreement with Intel – a dealbreaker given Intel’s concerns over protecting its IP, in our view. In addition, trade restrictions from the U.S. government would likely prevent an outright takeover by a Chinese government-run entity, in our opinion.”

Without the x86 license and with a risk to run into roadblocks set up by the U.S. government, it simply makes no sense for anyone to acquire AMD.

amd_headquarters

But while it makes no sense to gain control of AMD, it is possible to buy a stake in the company. According to VRWorld, China’s Loongson Technology, a microprocessor manufacturer controlled by BLX IC Design, the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Institute of Computing Technology, is set to make strategic investments in AMD’s technologies and product lines. Loongson is known for its Godson family of processors that use the MIPS architecture. Loongson has worked with AMD in the past and even incorporated some of AMD’s logic into its processors. Besides, the company has plenty of money, some say as much as $19 billion.

The Chinese chip designer could certainly provide AMD enough money to boost its research and development (R&D) capabilities. AMD’s R&D budget for this quarter will be around $200 million, which is a lot less than AMD has spent historically. Since the company’s sales are dropping, it will not be able to quickly boost R&D spending, which means a threat for its future and long-term survival.

What is completely unclear is why Loongson needs to invest in AMD. Perhaps, the Chinese chip company believes that AMD has potential to recapture a significant chunk of the PC processor market from Intel and/or design competitive application processors for mobile devices or Internet-of-Things applications. If AMD can create products and make money, its shareholders will benefit from it. However, knowing business approaches of Chinese companies, they are hardly interested in earning dividends or even sharing profits. What they want are technologies. Perhaps, AMD could license them graphics processing technologies, CPU building blocks like high-speed interconnections or certain proprietary instructions.

AMD and Loongson did not comment on the news-story.

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KitGuru Says: While it is possible that Loongson only wants to license certain intellectual property from AMD in exchange for investments, it is also possible that we are talking about a strategic collaboration. We are not sure how it could work out, but if a deal between AMD and Loongson is signed, it will likely be a game changer in many ways.

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Intel: As AMD exited the server market, ARM chips get chances https://www.kitguru.net/components/cpu/anton-shilov/intel-as-amd-exited-the-server-market-arm-chips-get-chances/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/cpu/anton-shilov/intel-as-amd-exited-the-server-market-arm-chips-get-chances/#comments Sat, 07 Feb 2015 06:24:25 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=234576 At present Intel Corp. controls shipments of around 98 microprocessors for servers on the planet. Advanced Micro Devices is no longer a significant competitor for the chip giant, but a crowd of ARM-based chip developers seems to be. Server customers and makers need alternative processors to Intel Xeon, which is why many of them are …

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At present Intel Corp. controls shipments of around 98 microprocessors for servers on the planet. Advanced Micro Devices is no longer a significant competitor for the chip giant, but a crowd of ARM-based chip developers seems to be. Server customers and makers need alternative processors to Intel Xeon, which is why many of them are testing ARM system-on-chips for servers these days.

“Based on our share position in the data center, everybody is going to experiment with alternative architectures,” said Stacy Smith, chief financial officer of Intel, in an interview with Barron’s. “Nobody wants to be sole-sourced. As AMD has exited, to a large extent, the general server market, and as the different players bringing ARM solutions into the market have consistently pushed out the capabilities and the volume pretty far out in time, companies are left with a position where they become really dependent on our business.”

dell_servers

Intel understands that not only large cloud customers will experiment with custom ARM system-on-chips for hyperscale datacentre servers. Traditional server vendors like Dell or Hewlett-Packard have also tested ARM processors. When and if ARM-based chips hit performance targets of mainstream servers, Intel will get a number of new rivals. Therefore, Intel needs to concentrate on improvements of its chips and on ensuring that all server-class software works best with Xeon. The most important trump that Intel has is its x86 architecture, all server programs are developed for x86 chips. Therefore, If Intel’s processors stay ahead of those from SoC developers in terms of various metrics (e.g., performance, features, performance-per-watt, total cost of ownership, etc.), there will be no need to optimize server software for ARM.

“So everyone’s going to want to have alternatives working in the labs, I would do the same thing if I was them,” said Mr. Smith. “So what do we have to do? Our goal is first and foremost, if we can provide a more compelling value proposition in terms of performance, performance per watt, and per watt per cost dollar, then we can create a very compelling value proposition for people to partner deeply with us.”

lenovo_server_1

Even though ARM’s potential on the market of servers seems to be greatly overestimated, ARMv8-compatible application processors from Qualcomm or Nvidia could get their chances because there is no AMD, whereas server users and vendors seek for alternatives to Intel's Xeon. The problem for those companies is that Intel is developing very robust server platform architectures. Such research and development requires a lot of money and it is a big question whether server makers along with SoC developers will invest comparable amounts in such R&D.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: When AMD first outlined plans to enter the market of industry-standard servers in 2001, Intel largely ignored the company and was caught off guard in 2003 when AMD released Opteron microprocessors for servers. In just three years’ time AMD Opteron managed to grab a significant chunk of the market away from Intel. Right now Intel also no longer considers AMD a potential competitor, even though AMD wants to be back with its code-named “Zen” architecture in 2016. Perhaps, Intel knows something that we do not?

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AMD to unify platforms for high-end FX chips, mainstream APUs https://www.kitguru.net/components/cpu/anton-shilov/amd-to-unify-platforms-for-high-end-fx-chips-mainstream-apus/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/cpu/anton-shilov/amd-to-unify-platforms-for-high-end-fx-chips-mainstream-apus/#comments Thu, 29 Jan 2015 04:03:12 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=233089 At present Advanced Micro Devices, just like Intel Corp., has two desktop platforms: socket FM2+ for mainstream accelerated processing units and socket AM3+ for high-end FX central processing units. When AMD introduces its new chips in 2016, the company will unify the two platforms, a media report claims. AMD’s forthcoming code-named “Bristol Ridge” and “Summit …

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At present Advanced Micro Devices, just like Intel Corp., has two desktop platforms: socket FM2+ for mainstream accelerated processing units and socket AM3+ for high-end FX central processing units. When AMD introduces its new chips in 2016, the company will unify the two platforms, a media report claims.

AMD’s forthcoming code-named “Bristol Ridge” and “Summit Ridge” products will use socket FM3 platforms, according to SweClockers. Mainboards with the FM3 sockets will utilize DDR4 memory, but will sport an unknown number of channels. Other peculiarities of the platform remain unknown, but given the fact that they will support both FX-series and A-series processors, expect their feature-set to be flexible.

amd_kaveri_fx_mobile

AMD’s “Bristol Ridge” APUs will feature four code-named “Excavator” cores, a Radeon graphics engine based on the GCN 1.2 or more advanced architecture and 95W thermal design power. The chip will be similar to this year’s “Carrizo”, but will be optimized for operation at high clock-rates. The APUs will be made using 28nm fabrication process.

By contrast, AMD’s “Summit Ridge” central processing units will sport up to eight next-generation “Zen” high-performance x86 cores, L3 cache and up to 95W thermal design power. The CPUs will be manufactured using 14nm manufacturing technology.

The “Bristol Ridge”, “Summit Ridge” processors as well as the FM3 mainboards will become available in the third quarter of 2016, more than 1.5 years from now. The new platforms will use I/O controllers code-named “Promontory”, which are rumoured to be developed by Asmedia.

amd_fusion_kaveri_steamroller_piledriver_excavator

The unification of the platforms has both pros and cons. On the one hand, it means that mainboard makers will not have to support two types of motherboards for AMD processors. On the other hand, it means that AMD will be unable to incorporate any exclusive features into its high-end platforms. For example, Intel’s high-end desktop (HEDT) processors integrate quad-channel memory controller and feature up to 140W of thermal design power, which allows the company to offer CPUs with unprecedented performance. Moreover, Intel's X99 platform offers considerably better I/O feature configuration than Intel's Z97 chipset.

AMD did not comment on the news-story.

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KitGuru Says: Looks like either AMD is extremely confident of its Zen architecture and it believes that it will be able to address all markets with 95W parts and mainstream platform capabilities, or it simply has no plans to address the market of high-end PCs even with its next-gen offerings.

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AMD preps ‘Bristol Ridge’ APUs: ‘Carrizo’ for desktops https://www.kitguru.net/components/cpu/anton-shilov/amd-preps-bristol-ridge-apus-carrizo-for-desktops/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/cpu/anton-shilov/amd-preps-bristol-ridge-apus-carrizo-for-desktops/#comments Tue, 27 Jan 2015 21:41:53 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=232802 Although Advanced Micro Devices does not have plans to bring the code-named “Carrizo” accelerated processing units to the market of traditional desktop computers, it is expected that a similar chip will actually make it into desktops. Unfortunately, this will happen only next year and it is unlikely that it will offer very high performance. Later …

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Although Advanced Micro Devices does not have plans to bring the code-named “Carrizo” accelerated processing units to the market of traditional desktop computers, it is expected that a similar chip will actually make it into desktops. Unfortunately, this will happen only next year and it is unlikely that it will offer very high performance.

Later this year AMD intends to refresh its desktop product lineup with faster “Kaveri” APUs code-named “Godavari”. The new accelerated processing units will be barely faster than existing A-series chips from AMD, therefore, do not expect the company to improve its positions against Intel using the upcoming desktop products. Moreover, according to a report by SweClockers web-site, AMD’s next-generation APUs are pretty far away and when they hit the market, they will hardly be strong competitors.

AMD is developing is code-named “Bristol Ridge” APU, which will sport four “Excavator” cores (two dual-core modules), AMD Radeon graphics processing unit with 512 stream processors (based on the GCN 1.2 or more advanced architecture), DDR4 memory controller and heterogeneous system architecture features. The chip is set to be made using 28nm fabrication process and will have up to 95W TDP. The accelerated processing unit is, basically, a new version of AMD’s “Carrizo” optimized for operation at high clock-rates.

amd_fusion_kaveri_steamroller_piledriver_excavator

The “Bristol Ridge” APUs will offer considerably higher performance than “Carrizo” thanks to higher frequencies, improved memory bandwidth and other optimizations. Unfortunately, the new chips will become available only in the third quarter of 2016. By then Intel will have a full-range of “Skylake” processors and will be gearing up to start manufacturing of its first central processing units using 10nm fabrication technology.

Since the “Bristol Ridge” APUs will use proven x86 cores, graphics engine and design, it is likely that AMD will try to release it rather sooner than later in order to offer desktop PCs something better than “Kaveri”.

AMD did not comment on the news-story.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: If AMD rolls-out “Excavator”-based APUs for desktops in 2016, then it looks like its new micro-architecture code-named “Zen” will only be used for mainstream accelerated processing units in 2017, two years from now. Quite naturally this will negatively affect financial performance of AMD.

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