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Linux Kernel Patch Hints At At 32-Core Support For AMD Zen Chips

Posted by timothy on from the more-like-seeds-than-cores dept.

New submitter Iamthecheese points to an article which says that a patch published on the Linux Kernel Mailing List indicates that AMD's forthcoming Zen processors will have as many as 32 cores per socket, but notes that while the article's headline says "Confirms," "the article text doesn't bear that out." Still, he writes, There are hints of such from last year. A leaked patch for the 14 nanometer AMD Zeppelin (Family 17h, Model 00h) reveals support for up to 32 cores. Another blog says pretty much the same thing. We recently discussed an announced 4+8 core AMD chip, but nothing like this.

4 of 136 comments (clear)

  1. Cores Schmores by AbRASiON · · Score: 1, Insightful

    AMD best hope this CPU has some actual guts to it for performance / power efficiency. They haven't had a great CPU since the Duron / Thunderbird days when they were (arguably) the leader on the desktop.

    Their CPU's have gotten progressively worse compared to intel, to a point where it's pretty much complete folly to go AMD at this point, which is a big shame.

    Let's hope they close the gap significantly, very significantly. They've almost always been behind, even if it's only slightly (yet had to hugely undercut prices)
    At their current rate, I do not see them lasting a hell of a lot longer. So this one better be the one for a couple of years.

    1. Re:Cores Schmores by qbast · · Score: 1, Insightful

      They are not going to - even AMD's optimistic estimates talk about 40% improvement. This is way too little to close the performance gap. At best they can match top speed Intel CPUs from ~2011 (late Sandy Bridge).

    2. Re:Cores Schmores by qbast · · Score: 3, Insightful

      You are more optimistic than AMD's marketing department? That's some impressive optimism.

  2. Re:Intel by qbast · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Zen is (according to AMD, so I guess it is optimistic) is supposed to bring 40% improvement in instructions per clock. That would put it around Sandy Bridge level. They would have to pull off 100% improvement to be competitive at high levels once again.