AMD roadmap leaks, shows off 14nm chips for 2016

amd 2016 roadmap leak apu die shot — Image used with permission by copyright holder

With an Intel leak just the other day bringing news of 14nm chips later this year, it only makes sense that AMD wouldn’t be far behind. Now, a leaked roadmap confirms that suspicion, with plans for a slew of new CPUs and APUs for 2015 and 2016, with some big potential big-hitters on the way. The charts popped up on Reddit, and there’s no source, but at the very least they’re interesting to consider.

1 - acHnbnz — Image used with permission by copyright holder

For desktops in 2015, the first word from AMD is performance. New 2nd generation FX CPUs with support for up to eight “Piledriver” cores will be on the market this year, on a 32nm die. Down a little further on the performance spectrum, and aiming for mobility, are the “Godavari” and “Beema” chips. These APUs have support for four “Steamroller” and “Puma” cores respectively, plus Radeon integrated graphics with support for TrueAudio and AMD Secure Processor, the company’s digital content protection chip.

The main event for AMD in 2016 is the new “Summit Ridge” CPU, with support for up to eight “Zen” cores on AMD’s new FM3 socket. It’s a big step up for the manufacturer, and possibly a new flagship chipset to push for enthusiasts and gamers. There are also two new desktop APUs for 2015, with the “Bristol Ridge” supporting up to four “Zen” cores, and “Basilisk” at the bottom end supporting two. All of these 2016 releases are said to move to a 14nm production process.

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The mobile releases for 2015 also fall into three categories. At the most low-power end the “Amur” APU packs up to four ARM Cortex A57 cores, along with Radeon graphics and AMD secure processor technology, all while keeping system design power under two watts.The mid-range chip, the “Carrizo-L,” and its high performance brother, “Carrizo,”are both APUs capable of supporting up to four cores. The mid-range carries “Puma+” cores, with “Excavator” cores available in the “Carrizo.”

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Mobility chips for 2016 from AMD look excellent as well. The top two performance-wise, the “Bristol Ridge” and the “Basilisk” APUs, support four and two “Zen” cores respectively. On the low-power end, the “Styx” APU supports a pair of “K12” cores, but is also equipped with Radeon graphics and AMD Secure Processor. Like the 2015 “Amur” APU, the “Styx” keeps system design power under two watts. And like the 2016 desktop chips, these will probably be built on a 14nm process.

The only difference between this leak and the Intel rumors from last week, is that those rumors included a step up in production by TSMC to produce those chips within the year. There’s no sign from AMD at this time that they’ll be able to sign with a foundry to manufacture enough 14nm chips to support their entire 2016 line within the next year and a half. It’s an ambitious goal, to say the least, and one that could put them in a competitive position – if they can hit the mark.

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