News Overview
- Die shots of AMD’s Zen 5c CCD (Core Complex Die) have surfaced, showcasing a long, narrow design.
- All 16 cores on the Zen 5c CCD share a single L3 cache.
- The design reveals a novel approach to core layout and cache allocation compared to previous Zen architectures.
🔗 Original article link: AMD 16-Core Zen 5c Die Shots Show Long, Narrow CCX — All 16 Cores Sharing A Single L3 Cache
In-Depth Analysis
The leaked die shots provide a visual representation of AMD’s Zen 5c CCD. Here’s a breakdown of the key observations:
- Long, Narrow Design: The physical layout is markedly different from previous Zen CCDs. The elongated shape suggests a deliberate arrangement of the cores to optimize interconnectivity or power distribution.
- 16 Cores on a Single CCD: This confirms that Zen 5c will indeed pack a high core count onto a single die, contributing to improved density and potentially lower manufacturing costs for multi-core processors.
- Shared L3 Cache: The most significant revelation is that all 16 cores share a single L3 cache. This unified cache structure is likely designed to enhance inter-core communication and data sharing, particularly in heavily multi-threaded workloads. Sharing the L3 cache between all 16 cores allows each core faster access to shared data which is particularly beneficial for server/datacenter workloads.
- Zen 5c vs. Zen 5: Zen 5c is a specifically designed core focusing on core density and efficiency rather than outright single-core performance, compared to the standard Zen 5 core. This enables AMD to create high core count server products while also competing in the mainstream CPU market.
While the article doesn’t provide benchmarks, the design strongly suggests a focus on server and data center workloads, where efficient core-to-core communication and high core counts are paramount. There are no benchmarks or expert insights directly quoted within the article.
Commentary
The Zen 5c design represents a strategic shift from AMD, likely driven by the demands of cloud computing and high-performance computing environments. The shared L3 cache implementation could lead to significant performance improvements in multi-threaded applications, but might also introduce potential bottlenecks under specific workloads.
AMD is clearly targeting Intel’s server dominance with EPYC processors and this design showcases its strategy. By maximizing core density and optimizing inter-core communication, AMD aims to deliver compelling performance per watt and overall throughput.
The elongated die shape could present challenges in manufacturing and yield, requiring precise process control. Furthermore, the impact of shared L3 cache on single-core performance needs to be carefully evaluated. AMD might need to fine-tune its processor architecture and software optimization to fully realize the benefits of the Zen 5c design.