AM5 socket to bring desktop CPUs to life in late 2022, mid-range laptop CPU to follow

AMD has revealed more details of its Zen 4 processor architecture, a desktop CPU that puts it to work, and a socket to house that product.

The CPUs will be called RYZEN 7000 and feature the Zen 4 architecture, which AMD CEO Lisa Su said is built on a 5nm process by TSMC, doubles cache per core to 1MB, includes instructions tuned to the needs of artificial intelligence applications, and boasts clock speeds than can top 5Ghz.

Zen 4 chiplets will sit in a die built on a 6nm process that integrates RDNA 2 graphics, plus silicon needed to accept DDR5 memory and drive PCIe 5.0 controllers.

The CPUs will find a home in the AM5 socket - AMD's first new CPU housing since 2017's AM4. AM5 uses land grid array (LGA) tech and boasts 1,718 pins. Motherboards using the kit will offer up to 24 PCIe lanes and 14 USB interfaces – some at 20GB/s and all capable of handling USB-C.

In her Computex keynote, Su discussed only the RYZEN 7000CPU. There's surely more to come, as the CEO name-checked ASRock, ASUS, Gigabyte, Biostar, and MSI as making AM5 motherboards. Such manufacturers are unlikely to make the effort for a single processor, and AMD has used its AM4 socket for dozens of CPUs over the last five years. 

Another nugget of news from the keynote was a project named Mendocino – a forthcoming laptop CPU architecture aimed at laptops priced from $399 to $699. AMD defines that price range as spanning entry-level to midrange. Su said this silicon will use a 6nm TSMC process, offer four Zen 2 cores and RDNA 2 grpahics, and deliver ten hours of battery life on modest laptops.

The CEO suggested that the market is ripe for an upgrade, as buyers would prefer more than the four to six hours of unplugged operations that are currently common on lower-priced laptops. Mendocino kit will debut in Q4 2022.

Su also emphasised that some 200 AMD-powered laptop designs will go on sale during 2022, across gaming, consumer, and enterprise kit. She suggested that's a sign of important momentum, and an indicator that OEMs believe AMD positively differentiates their products.

Intel's not delivering a Computex keynote this year – an unusual omission. Nvidia has a Tuesday slot that The Register will attend as our APAC bureau keeps its eye on the conference. ®