AMD Epyc 8005: Zen 5c aims to outperform Intel Xeon 6 with maximum efficiency

Table of Contents

 

Source: AMD

AMD is unleashing the third series of its current server processors with Epyc 9005 ("Turin") for AI, cloud and compute and Epyc 4005 ("Grado") for hosting in the low-entry segment, and with Epyc 8005 ("Sorano"), primarily targeting the areas of edge computing and telecommunications.

AMD has rounded off the current 5th generation of its Epyc processors today with the new Epyc 8005 ("Sorano") model series, which, with its platform specially optimized for performance per watt and maximum efficiency, is intended to address the areas of edge computing and telecommunications in particular. Up to 84 of the "slimmed-down" Zen 5c processor cores in the significantly more compact SP6 socket are used for this purpose.

The technical specifications

Unlike the Epyc 9005 ("Turin") and Epyc 4005 ("Grado"), Epyc 8005 ("Sorano") completely renounces Zen 5 ("Nirvana") and opts for Zen 5c ("Prometheus") in favor of a platform that is completely optimized for power per watt. This is not surprising, since the predecessors from the Epyc 8004 ("Siena") series had already been based on Zen 4c ("Dionysus"). Epyc 8005 also takes over the more compact socket SP6 ("LGA 4844") with "only" 4,096 pins from its predecessor, while Epyc 9004 is used in the huge socket SP5 ("LGA 6096").

For better efficiency, the memory interface has also been halved and offers six more channels for DDR5 memory.

• Zen 5c ("Prometheus")
• 1-Socket solution ("1S")
• Socket SP6 ("LGA 4096")
• Up to 84 Zen-5C processor cores
• Up to 168 threads in total thanks to SMT
• Up to 1,152 Gibytes DDR5-6400 ECC
• 96 5th generation PCIe lanes
• 70 to 225 Watt TDP
• AVX-512

The feature set, including the AVX-512, offers everything that the large Epyc processors based on the Zen-5 architecture have to offer. There is only one special feature with the L3 cache: it corresponds to "only" 16 MiBytes per 8-core CCD ("Core Complex Die"), instead of a total of 32 MiBytes with classic Turin CPUs for eight processor cores each.

Background information on Zen 5 and Zen 5c

Zen 5 ("Nirvana") is AMD's current standard high-performance core for maximum single-core performance and is manufactured at TSMC in the N4 process ("4 nm"), while Zen 5c ("Prometheus") is a surface-optimized variant and comes off the assembly line in the N3 process ("3 nm"). They share the same architecture and IPC ("Instructions Per Cycle"), but Zen 5c offers a significantly higher density due to an approximately 25 percent smaller size and is thus designed for maximum efficiency and power per watt, while Zen 5 has been optimized for maximum power. - PC Games Hardware

As the technical specifications have already revealed, all optimizations are aimed at the most efficient operation and the best possible "power per watt per dollar," according to AMD in its official press release. In particular, companies with VRAN applications from the telecommunications sector and edge computing will be addressed.

For the operators, the focus has now shifted. The question is no longer why vRAN, but how to make vRAN sustainable and cost-effective on a large scale. — on AMD

This is where AMD Epyc 8005 ("Sorano") should come into play and replace Epyc 8004 ("Siena"), because with the same TDP of a maximum of 225 watts, it goes from a maximum of 64 Zen-4c processor cores up to up to 84 Zen-5c processor cores. It remains with the 1-socket solution ("1S").

Power per Watt for telecommunications and edge

As mentioned above, the Epyc 8005 ("Sorano") are especially tailored for the edge, compute and telecommunications sectors and will be launched on the market together with Dell, Lenovo and Supermicro as well as numerous other partners. The range of models ranges from 8 processor cores and 16 threads up to 84C /168T. AMD has not yet officially announced the individual models and their specifications themselves, but a 6-channel memory interface with an accelerated speed of up to 6,400 MT / s and ECC support is again offered for the main memory.

epyc 8005 ("Sorano") also occupies a separate position in its own server CPU portfolio and is intended to be the great cheap and efficient entry-level solution for the time being, which should score points especially in the areas of TCO (power /watt / price) and efficiency (power /watt), while Epyc 9005 ("Turin") serves the large data centers and Epyc 4005 ("Grado") covers the competitive low-entry segment. In the data center, Epyc 9006 ("Venice") is expected to take over at the end of the year and will also introduce Zen 6 ("Morpheus") for the first time.

AMD currently has the momentum in the server

In the professional areas of data centers, cloud computing, edge computing and telecommunications as well as HPC ("high Performance computing") for supercomputers, AMD currently has the momentum on its side and is gradually expanding its lead. Intel's Xeon 6 ("Granite Rapids-D") can be seen as an opponent to AMD's Epyc 8005, the first benchmarks will then provide information about the winner of this duel.

With today's launch of the Epyc 8005, AMD's server portfolio is complete and the first Zen 6-based models are expected by the end of the year.

After the first engineering samples of Epyc 9006 ("Venice") have already made the rounds, it is now considered largely certain that AMD will probably introduce the first server CPUs with Zen 6 for major customers by the end of 2026. In the desktop it means waiting.

Your opinion on the topic is in demand!

How do you feel about this issue? The Shero King editorial team is pleased about your well-founded opinion in the comments to this message. To comment, you need to click on Shero King or be logged in to the Extreme forum.