Zen 5 Explained

Zen 5
Produced-Start:Mobile
Desktop
Server
Designfirm:AMD
Manuf1:TSMC
Cpuid:Family 1Ah
Numcores:Mobile: 8 to 12
Desktop: 6 to 16
Server: 16 to 192
L1cache:80KB (per core):
L2cache:1MB (per core)
Size-From:TSMC N4X (Zen 5 CCD)
TSMC N3E (Zen 5c CCD)
TSMC N6
TSMC N4P (Mobile)
Arch:AMD64 (x86-64)
Sock1:Desktop
Sock2:Server
Sock4:Mobile
Memory1:DDR5
Extensions:Crypto AES, SHA
Extensions1:SIMD MMX-plus, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, SSE4.1, SSE4.2, SSE4A, SSSE3, FMA3, AVX, AVX2, AVX512
Extensions2:Virtualization AMD-V
Pcode1:Desktop
Pcode2:Thin & Light Mobile
Pcode5:Server
Brand1:Ryzen
Brand2:Ryzen AI
Brand3:Epyc
Predecessor:Zen 4
Successor:Zen 6

Zen 5 is the name for a CPU microarchitecture by AMD, shown on their roadmap in May 2022,[1] launched for mobile in July 2024 and for desktop in August 2024.[2] It is the successor to Zen 4 and is currently fabricated on TSMC's N4X process.[3] Zen 5 is also planned to be fabricated on the N3E process in the future.[4]

The Zen 5 microarchitecture powers Ryzen 9000 series desktop processors (codenamed "Granite Ridge"), Epyc 9005 server processors (codenamed "Turin"),[5] and Ryzen AI 300 thin and light mobile processors (codenamed "Strix Point").[6]

Background

Zen 5 was first officially mentioned during AMD's Ryzen Processors: One Year Later presentation on April 9, 2018.[7]

A roadmap shown during AMD's Financial Analyst Day on June 9, 2022 confirmed that Zen 5 and Zen 5c would be launching in 3nm and 4nm variants in 2024.[8] The earliest details on the Zen 5 architecture promised a "re-pipelined front end and wide issue" with "integrated AI and Machine Learning optimizations".

During AMD's Q4 2023 earnings call on January 30, 2024, AMD CEO Lisa Su stated that Zen 5 products would be "coming in the second half of the year".[9]

Architecture

Zen 5 is a ground-up redesign of Zen 4 with a wider front-end, increased floating point throughput and more accurate branch prediction.[10]

Fabrication process

Zen 5 was designed with both 4nm and 3nm processes in mind. This acted as an insurance policy for AMD in the event that TSMC's mass production of its N3 nodes were to face delays, significant wafer defect issues or capacity issues. One industry analyst estimated early N3 wafer yields to be at 55% while others estimated yields to be similar to those of N5 at between 60-80%.[11] [12] Additionally, Apple, as TSMC's largest customer, is given priority access to the latest process nodes. In 2022, Apple was responsible for 23% of TSMC's $72 billion in total revenue.[13] After N3 began ramping at the end of 2022, Apple bought up the entirety of TSMC's early N3B wafer production capacity to fabricate their A17 and M3 SoCs.[14] Zen 5 desktop and server processors continue to use the N6 node for the I/O die fabrication.[15]

Zen 5 CCDs are fabricated on TSMC's N4X node which is intended to accommodate higher frequencies for high-performance computing (HPC) applications.[16] Zen 4-based mobile processors were fabricated on the N4P node which is targeted more towards power efficiency. N4X maintains IP compatibility with N4P and offers a 6% frequency gain over N4P at the same power but comes with the trade-off of moderate leakage.[17] Compared to the N5 node used to produce Zen 4 CCDs, N4X can enable up to 15% higher frequencies while running at 1.2V.[18]

The Zen 5 CCD, codenamed "Eldora", has a die size of 70.6mm2, a 0.5% reduction in area from Zen 4's 71mm2 CCD while achieving a 28% increase in transistor density due to the N4X process node.[19] Zen 5's CCD contains 8.315 billion transistors compared to the Zen 4 CCD's 6.5 billion transistors.[20] The size of an individual Zen 5 core is actually larger than a Zen 4 core but the CCD has been reduced via shrinking the L3 cache. The monolithic die used by "Strix Point" mobile processors, fabricated on TSMC's lower power N4P node, measures 232.5mm2 in area.[19]

Front end

Branch Prediction

Zen 5's changes to branch prediction are the most significant divergence from any previous Zen microarchitecture. The branch predictor in a core tries to predict the outcome when there are diverging code paths. Zen 5's branch predictor is able to operate two-ahead where it can try to predict two code paths ahead before they are executed rather predicting one code path, waiting for it to be executed, then predicting the next one.[21] Two-ahead branch predictors have been discussed in academic research dating back to André Seznec et al.'s 1996 paper "Multiple-block ahead branch predictors".[22] 28 years after it was first proposed in academic research, AMD's Zen 5 architecture became the first microarchitecture to fully implement two-ahead branch prediction. Increased data prefetching assists the branch predictor.

Execution Engines

Integer Units

Zen 5 contains 6 Arithmetic Logic Units (ALUs), up from 4 ALUs in prior Zen architectures. A greater number of ALUs that handle common integer operations can increase per-cycle scalar integer throughput by 50%.[23]

Vector Engines and Instructions

The vector engine in Zen 5 features 4 floating point pipes compared to 3 pipes in Zen 4. Zen 4 introduced AVX-512 instructions. AVX-512 capabilities have been expanded with Zen 5 with a doubling of the floating point pipe width to a native 512-bit floating point datapath. The AVX-512 datapath is configurable depending on the product. Ryzen 9000 series desktop processors and EPYC 9005 server processors feature the full 512-bit datapath but Ryzen AI 300 mobile processors feature a 256-bit datapath in order to reduce power consumption. AVX-512 instruction has been extended to VNNI/VEX instructions. Additionally, there is greater bfloat16 throughput which is beneficial for AI workloads.

Cache

L1

The wider front end in the Zen 5 architecture necessitates larger caches and higher memory bandwidth in order to keep the cores fed with data. The L1 cache per core is increased from 64 KB to 80 KB per core. The L1 instruction cache remains the same at 32 KB but the L1 data cache is increased from 32 KB to 48 KB per core. Furthermore, the bandwidth of the L1 data cache for 512-bit floating point unit pipes has also been doubled. The L1 data cache's associativity has increased from 8-way to 12-way in order to accommodate its larger size.

L2

The L2 cache remains at 1 MB but its associativity has increased from 8-way to 16-way. Zen 5 also has a doubled L2 cache bandwidth of 64 bytes per clock.

L3

The L3 cache is filled from L2 cache victims and in-flight misses. Latency for accessing the L3 cache has been reduced by 3.5 cycles.[24] A Zen 5 Core Complex Die (CCD) contains 32 MB of L3 cache shared between the 8 cores. In Zen 5 3D V-Cache CCDs, a piece of silicon containing 64 MB of extra L3 cache is placed under the cores rather than on top like in prior generations for a total of 96 MB.[25] This allows for increased core frequency compared to previous generation 3D V-Cache implementations which were sensitive to higher voltages. The Zen 5-based Ryzen 7 9800X3D has a 500 MHz increased base frequency over the Zen 4-based Ryzen 7 7800X3D and allows overclocking for the first time.[26]

Ryzen AI 300 APUs, codenamed "Strix Point", features 24 MB of total L3 cache which is split into two separate cache arrays. 16 MB of dedicated L3 cache is shared the 4 Zen 5 cores and 8 MB is shared by the 8 Zen 5c cores.[27] Zen 5c cores are not able to access the 16 MB L3 cache array and vice versa.[28]

CacheZen 4Zen 5
L1
Data
Size32 KB48 KB
Associativity8-way12-way
Bandwidth32B/clk64B/clk
L1
Instructions
Size32 KB32 KB
Associativity8-way8-way
Bandwidth64B/clk64B/clk
L2Size1 MB1 MB
Associativity8-way16-way
Bandwidth32B/clk64B/clk
L3Size32 MB32 MB
Associativity16-way16-way
Bandwidth32B/clk Read
16B/clk Write
32B/clk Read
16B/clk Write

Other changes

Other features and changes in the Zen 5 architecture, compared to Zen 4, include:

Zen 4 vs Zen 5 capabilities[30] ! Attribute! Zen 4! Zen 5
L1/L2 BTB1.5K/7K16K/8K
Return Address Stack3252
ITLB L1/L264/51264/2048
Fetched/Decoded Instruction Bytes/cycle3264
Op Cache associativity12-way16-way
Op Cache bandwidth9 macro-ops12 inst or fused inst
Dispatch bandwidth (macro-ops/cycle)68
AGU Scheduler3x24 ALU/AGU56
ALU Scheduler1x24 ALU88
ALU/AGU4/36/4
Int PRF (red/flag)224/126240/192
Vector Reg192384
FP Pre-Sched Queue6496
FP Scheduler2x323x38
FP Pipes34
Vector Width256256b/512b
ROB/Retire Queue320448
LS Mem Pipes support Load/Store3/14/2
DTLB L1/L272/307296/4096

Products

Desktop

Granite Ridge

AMD announced an initial lineup of four models of Ryzen 9000 processors on June 3, 2024, including one Ryzen 5, one Ryzen 7 and two Ryzen 9 models. Manufactured on a 4 nm process, the processors feature between 6 and 16 cores.[31] Ryzen 9000 processors were released in August 2024.

Mobile

Strix Point

The Ryzen AI 300 series of high-performance ultrathin notebook processors were announced on June 3, 2024. Codenamed Strix Point, these processors are named under a new model numbering system similar to Intel's Core and Core Ultra model numbering. Strix Point features a 3rd gen Ryzen AI engine based on XDNA 2, providing up to 50 TOPS of neural processing unit performance. The integrated graphics is upgraded to RDNA 3.5, and top end models have 16 CUs of GPU and 12 cores of CPU, an increase from the maximum of 8 CPU cores on previous generation Ryzen ultrathin mobile processors.[32] Notebooks featuring Ryzen AI 300 series processors were released on July 17.[33]

Server

Turin

Alongside Granite Ridge desktop and Strix Point mobile processors, the Epyc 9005 series of high-performance server processors, codenamed Turin, were also announced at Computex on June 3, 2024. It uses the same SP5 socket as the previous Epyc 9004 series processors, and will pack up to 128 cores and 256 threads on the top-end model. Turin will be built on a TSMC 4 nm process.[34]

Turin Dense

A variant of Epyc 9005 using Zen 5c cores was also shown off at Computex. It will feature a maximum of 192 cores and 384 threads, and be manufactured on a 3 nm process.

Zen 5c

Zen 5c is a compact variant of the Zen 5 core, primarily targeted at hyperscale cloud compute server customers.[35] It will succeed the Zen 4c core.

Notes and References

  1. News: AMD confirms Zen4 & Ryzen 7000 series lineup: Raphael in 2022, Dragon Range and Phoenix in 2023 . VideoCardz . en-US . May 3, 2022 . October 2, 2022.
  2. Web site: Hollister . Sean . 2024-07-24 . AMD is slightly delaying its Ryzen 9000 desktop CPUs 'out of an abundance of caution' . The Verge . en-US . 2024-08-04.
  3. Web site: AMD deep-dives Zen 5 architecture — Ryzen 9000 and AI 300 benchmarks, RDNA 3.5 GPU, XDNA 2, and more . July 15, 2024 .
  4. Web site: Alcorn . Paul . AMD Shares New CPU Core Roadmap, 3nm Zen 5 by 2024, 4th-Gen Infinity Architecture . Tom's Hardware . en . June 9, 2022 . August 4, 2023.
  5. Web site: Alcorn . Paul . 2024-06-02 . AMD announces 3nm EPYC Turin with 192 cores and 384 threads — 5.4X faster than Intel Xeon in AI work, launches second half of 2024 . en-US . 2024-06-02 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240603034741/https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/cpus/amd-announces-3nm-epyc-turin-launching-with-192-cores-and-384-threads-in-second-half-of-2024-54x-faster-than-intel-xeon-in-ai-workload . 2024-06-03 . live.
  6. Web site: Alcorn . Paul . 2024-06-02 . AMD unwraps Ryzen AI 300 series 'Strix Point' processors — 50 TOPS of AI performance, Zen 5c density cores come to Ryzen 9 for the first time . Tom's Hardware . 2024-06-02 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240603033904/https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/cpus/amd-unwraps-ryzen-ai-300-series-strix-point-processors-50-tops-of-ai-performance-zen-5c-density-cores-come-to-ryzen-9-for-the-first-time . 2024-06-03 . live.
  7. Web site: Ryzen Processors: One Year Later . YouTube . en-US . April 9, 2018 . August 23, 2024.
  8. Web site: AMD FAD 2022 AMD CPU Core Roadmap To Zen 5 . ServeTheHome . en-US . June 3, 2024.
  9. Web site: AMD reaffirms Ryzen CPUs with Zen5 architecture are coming in the second half of 2024 . VideoCardz . en-US . January 31, 2024 . June 3, 2024.
  10. Web site: Bonshor . Gavin . June 2, 2024 . AMD Unveils Ryzen 9000 CPUs For Desktop, Zen 5 Takes Center Stage at Computex 2024 . AnandTech . en-US . June 3, 2024.
  11. Web site: Norem . Josh . July 14, 2023 . Analyst: TSMC Hitting 55% Yields on 3nm Node for Apple's A17 Bionic, M3 SoCs . ExtremeTech . en-US . June 3, 2024.
  12. Web site: Shilov . Anton . December 31, 2022 . Analysts Estimate TSMC's 3nm Yields Between 60% and 80% . Tom's Hardware . en-US . June 3, 2024.
  13. Web site: Norem . Josh . August 8, 2023 . Apple Bought All of TSMC's 3nm Capacity for an Entire Year . ExtremeTech . en-US . June 3, 2024.
  14. Web site: Norem . Josh . April 27, 2023 . TSMC Says It Can't Keep Up With Apple's Demands for 3nm Wafers . ExtremeTech . en-US . June 3, 2024.
  15. Web site: Bonshor . Gavin . 2024-06-02 . AMD Unveils Ryzen 9000 CPUs For Desktop, Zen 5 Takes Center Stage at Computex 2024 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240603033848/https://www.anandtech.com/show/21415/amd-unveils-ryzen-9000-cpus-for-desktop-zen-5-takes-center-stage-at-computex-2024 . 2024-06-03 . 2024-06-02 . AnandTech . en-US.
  16. Web site: Norem . Josh . July 22, 2024 . AMD's Zen 5 Architectures Boast a 28% Increase in Density Over Zen 4 . ExtremeTech . en-US . September 16, 2024.
  17. Web site: Advanced Technologies for HPC: N4/N4P/N4X . TSMC . en . June 3, 2024.
  18. Web site: Shilov . Anton . December 17, 2021 . TSMC Unveils N4X Node: Extreme High-Performance at High Voltages . AnandTech . en-US . June 3, 2024.
  19. Web site: AMD Granite Ridge and Strix Point Zen 5 Die-sizes and Transistor Counts Confirmed . TechPowerUp . en . July 16, 2024 . September 16, 2024.
  20. Web site: Shilov . Anton . July 18, 2024 . AMD's Zen 5 chips pack in 8.315 billion transistors per compute die, a 28% increase in density . Tom's Hardware . en-US . September 16, 2024.
  21. Web site: Posch . Maya . July 28, 2024 . AMD Returns to 1996 With Zen 5's Two-Block Ahead Branch Predictor . Hackaday . en-US . September 16, 2024.
  22. Book: Seznec . André . Jourdan . Stéphan . Sainrat . Pascal . Michaud . Pierre . Multiple-block ahead branch predictors . 1996 . Proceedings of the seventh international conference on Architectural support for programming languages and operating systems . https://dl.acm.org/doi/pdf/10.1145/237090.237169 . 116–127 . en-US . 10.1145/237090.237169. 0-89791-767-7 .
  23. Web site: Lam . Chester . October 8, 2023 . Zen 5's Leaked Slides . Chips and Cheese . en-US . June 3, 2024.
  24. Web site: Kennedy . Patrick . August 27, 2024 . AMD Zen 5 Core is at Hot Chips 2024 . ServeTheHome . en-US . September 16, 2024.
  25. News: Lilly . Paul . October 31, 2024 . AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D Unveiled With A 3D V-Cache Tweak For Gamers And Overclockers . HotHardware . en-US . November 1, 2024.
  26. News: Tyson . Mark . October 31, 2024 . AMD crowns the Ryzen 7 9800X3D a 'gaming legend' in a surprise announcement — chipmaker claims $479 Zen 5 3D V-Cache chip is up to an average 20% faster than Intel Core Ultra 9 flagship . Tom's Hardware . en-US . November 1, 2024.
  27. Web site: AMD's Strix Point: Zen 5 Hits Mobile . Chips and Cheese . en-US . August 10, 2024 . September 16, 2024.
  28. Web site: AMD Strix Point SoC Reintroduces Dual-CCX CPU, Other Interesting Silicon Details Revealed . TechPowerUp . en . July 24, 2024 . September 16, 2024.
  29. Web site: Bonshor . Gavin . AMD Unveils Ryzen 9000 CPUs For Desktop, Zen 5 Takes Center Stage at Computex 2024 . 2024-06-15 . www.anandtech.com.
  30. Web site: AMD Reveals More Zen 5 CPU Core Details . Phoronix . en-US . July 24, 2024 . July 24, 2024.
  31. Web site: June 3, 2024 . AMD introduces Ryzen 9000 Zen5 desktop CPUs "Granite Ridge" . VideoCardz . en-US . June 3, 2024.
  32. Web site: Alcorn . Paul . AMD unwraps Ryzen AI 300 series 'Strix Point' processors — 50 TOPS of AI performance, Zen 5c density cores come to Ryzen 9 for the first time . Tom's Hardware . 3 June 2024 . en . 3 June 2024.
  33. Web site: Shanto . Abid Ahsan . Asus confirms delayed launch of AMD Ryzen AI 300 series laptops . NotebookCheck . 4 July 2024 . 3 July 2024.
  34. Web site: Alcorn . Paul . AMD announces 3nm EPYC Turin with 192 cores and 384 threads — 5.4X faster than Intel Xeon in AI work, launches second half of 2024 . Tom's Hardware . 3 June 2024 . en . 3 June 2024.
  35. Web site: Smith . Ryan . June 9, 2022 . AMD Zen Architecture Roadmap: Zen 5 in 2024 With All-New Microarchitecture . AnandTech . en-US . December 11, 2022.