AMD Zen Microarchitecture

An AMD Zen Microarchitecture is a microarchitecture that ...

• See: Integrated Circuit, FinFET, Advanced Micro Devices, GlobalFoundries, Excavator (Microarchitecture), Zen+, X86-64, Socket AM4, AnandTech, Socket TR4.

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References

2018

• (Wikipedia, 2018) ⇒ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zen_(microarchitecture) Retrieved:2018-5-24.
  • Zen is the codename for a computer processor microarchitecture from AMD, and was first used with their Ryzen series of CPUs in February 2017. The first Zen based preview system was demonstrated at E3 2016, and first substantially detailed at an event hosted a block away from the Intel Developer Forum 2016. The first Zen-based CPUs codenamed "Summit Ridge" reached the market in early March 2017, Zen-derived Epyc server processors launched in June 2017 and Zen-based APUs arrived in November 2017. Zen is a clean sheet design that differs from the long-standing Bulldozer architecture. Zen-based processors use a 14 nm FinFET process, are reportedly more energy efficient, and can execute significantly more instructions per cycle. SMT has been introduced, allowing each core to run two threads. The cache system has also been redesigned, making the L1 cache write-back. Zen processors use three different sockets: desktop and mobile Ryzen chips use the AM4 socket, bringing DDR4 support; the high-end desktop Zen-based Threadripper chips support quad-channel DDR4 RAM and offer 64 PCIe 3.0 lanes (vs 24 lanes), using the TR4 socket; and Epyc server processors offer 128 PCI 3.0 lanes and octal-channel DDR4 using the SP3 socket. Zen is based on a SoC design. The memory, PCIe, SATA, and USB controllers are incorporated into the same chip as the processor cores. This has advantages in bandwidth and power, at the expense of chip complexity and die area. This SoC design will allow the Zen microarchitecture to scale from laptops and small-form factor mini PCs to high-end desktops and servers.

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