AMD Next-Gen EPYC Venice Zen 6 CPUs Reportedly Drop Into New SP7 Platform

Anton Shilov
·2 min read
AMD
AMD

AMD's 6th Generation EPYC processors codenamed Venice and based on Zen 6 cores, will reportedly use an all-new SP7 socket, according to renowned leaker YuuKi_AnS, who seems to have seen a roadmap of a server maker. The new platform will enable support for up to 16 memory channels, he asserts, which will ensure enough memory bandwidth for CPUs with hundreds of cores.

AMD's 5th Generation EPYC processors codenamed Turin, will keep using the existing SP5 socket, which aligns with AMD's strategy to use one socket for two generations of server CPUs. But its successor — the 6th Generation EPYC processor codenamed Venice with Zen 6 cores — will use its all-new SP7 platform. The information is strictly unofficial, as AMD has not discussed its data center platform in several years.

The new CPUs will support 12 or 16 memory channels supporting DDR5 and innovative memory modules like MR-DIMM and MCR-DIMM to feed Zen 6 cores. While the number of cores supported by the processor is unknown, we can expect it to increase dramatically from 96 – 128 cores in the case of SP5 processors.

Given the core count increase, we expect the new SP7 socket to boost the maximum power supply for Venice processors. The Socket SP5 can provide a peak power of up to 700W, which is good enough for current CPUs, but for AMD's 6th Generation EPYC CPUs, that figure will likely increase significantly. Given that market players like Intel and TSMC are experimenting with various innovative cooling systems for upcoming multi-chip solutions that will consume and dissipate well over 1 kW (1,000W) of power, we would expect AMD's CPUs in 2025 – 2026 to be in the same ballpark.

What remains to be seen is how many pins SP7 processors will have. SP5 has 6,096 pins, so it is reasonable to assume that CPUs with up to 16 memory channels and higher power consumption will likely use considerably more. Meanwhile, a larger CPU package will allow AMD to place more chiplets on the processor package to increase the core count and functionality.

AMD has not publicly talked about its 6th Generation EPYC processors, so take the leaked information with a grain of salt, as even if it is accurate for now, AMD may change its plans.