Close
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Video
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Subscribe
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Video
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Subscribe
    Home Latest News
    • Servers

    AMD Reportedly Readying 32-core ‘Zen’ Server Chip

    Written by

    Jeff Burt
    Published February 12, 2016
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      eWEEK content and product recommendations are editorially independent. We may make money when you click on links to our partners. Learn More.

      Advanced Micro Devices is betting on its upcoming “Zen” core architecture to put it back in play in the data center and in PCs against larger rival Intel.

      Company officials introduced Zen in May 2015, outlining an architecture that will support simultaneous multi-threading (SMT)—a technology similar to Intel’s Hyper-Threading—and DDR4 memory, and will feature a FinFET transistor design for the 14-nanometer chips. It will provide a 40 percent improvement in instructions-per-clock over current AMD processors.

      The Zen chips will first appear in high-end desktop PCs later this year and then afterward in servers, with full revenue ramp beginning in 2017. AMD executives have talked about some aspects of the architecture, but haven’t elaborated beyond the basics.

      However, a presentation by a researcher at CERN at a recent IT forum unveiled some more information about AMD’s plans for Zen, in particular that upcoming server chips will feature as many as 32 cores—packaged across two 16-core modules—and will support PCIe gen 3.0 interconnect and will leverage as many as eight channels of DDR4 memory. CERN is the Swiss scientific institution that built and operates the Large Hadron Collider.

      The high number of cores and other features of Zen—including the FinFET transistor design, which will help drive performance and power efficiency—show the effort AMD is putting behind the core design, which officials have said was two years in the making.

      CEO Lisa Su and other AMD executives have laid out an aggressive, multi-pronged strategy to bring the company back to sustainable profitability later this year and to compete better with Intel on multiple fronts, including high-end PCs and servers. AMD also is targeting other areas, including gaming and immersive computing.

      The company last year made strides on multiple fronts, including its GPUs and PC processors. The company released its “Carrizo” processors for notebooks and other PCs, and expanded its graphics offerings as well as creating a GPU business unit, the Radeon Technologies Group.

      AMD also wants to challenge Intel’s dominance in the data center, where the larger vendor owns more than 98 percent of the market. About 10 years ago, AMD, on the strength of its Opteron processors, was able to claim more than a quarter of the server market, but lost most of that ground due to Intel’s innovations in its Xeon processors and missteps by AMD.

      Analysts have said that OEMs and end users are looking for an alternative source of processors to Intel to help drive innovation, reduce prices and protect themselves if there ever is a problem with the Intel supply chain. AMD is aiming to be that alternative on two fronts—its x86 Zen chips and its ARM-based “Seattle” processors. Other ARM chip-making partners—including Qualcomm, Applied Micro and Cavium—also are making systems-on-a-chip (SoC) for the data center, while the IBM-led OpenPower Foundation expects to become that second-source alternative. Su told eWEEK in December that Zen shows that the data center is “not an all-[Intel] Xeon play.”

      The 32 cores and eight-channel DDR4 memory interface are about double what Intel offers now in its high-end Xeon processors, and the move to 14nm will put it on par with Intel. Currently, AMD’s server chips are built on a 28nm manufacturing process.

      Jeff Burt
      Jeff Burt
      Jeffrey Burt has been with eWEEK since 2000, covering an array of areas that includes servers, networking, PCs, processors, converged infrastructure, unified communications and the Internet of things.

      Get the Free Newsletter!

      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis

      Get the Free Newsletter!

      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Artificial Intelligence

      9 Best AI 3D Generators You Need...

      Sam Rinko - June 25, 2024 0
      AI 3D Generators are powerful tools for many different industries. Discover the best AI 3D Generators, and learn which is best for your specific use case.
      Read more
      Cloud

      RingCentral Expands Its Collaboration Platform

      Zeus Kerravala - November 22, 2023 0
      RingCentral adds AI-enabled contact center and hybrid event products to its suite of collaboration services.
      Read more
      Artificial Intelligence

      8 Best AI Data Analytics Software &...

      Aminu Abdullahi - January 18, 2024 0
      Learn the top AI data analytics software to use. Compare AI data analytics solutions & features to make the best choice for your business.
      Read more
      Latest News

      Zeus Kerravala on Networking: Multicloud, 5G, and...

      James Maguire - December 16, 2022 0
      I spoke with Zeus Kerravala, industry analyst at ZK Research, about the rapid changes in enterprise networking, as tech advances and digital transformation prompt...
      Read more
      Video

      Datadog President Amit Agarwal on Trends in...

      James Maguire - November 11, 2022 0
      I spoke with Amit Agarwal, President of Datadog, about infrastructure observability, from current trends to key challenges to the future of this rapidly growing...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2024 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.