AMD ZEN 6: 12 Cores and Beyond

According to information released by ChipHell forum and MLID, AMD's upcoming ZEN 6 processors will maintain compatibility with the existing AM5 socket while introducing a new chiplet-based CPU design that significantly increases core counts for both desktop and laptop products.

The AMD ZEN 6 architecture will feature a 12-core Core Complex Die (CCD) design, a substantial upgrade from the 8-core CCD design used in the ZEN 3/4/5 microarchitectures. These additional four cores per CCD will help deliver higher total core counts across the product lineup.

Desktop processors for the AM5 platform will be able to pack up to 24 cores, while high-performance laptop APUs will also transition to a 12-core architecture. According to MLID, the ZEN 6 CCD will measure approximately 75 square millimeters.

Will the increased core count come at the expense of cache? Apparently not. AMD's high-performance desktop processors will still offer up to 96MB of L3 cache, maintaining the same 4MB per core ratio found in current ZEN 5 configurations. This indicates AMD won't sacrifice cache capacity to accommodate the additional cores.

Products based on the ZEN 6 architecture are expected to launch in 2026. Given this timeline, AMD will likely utilize more advanced TSMC manufacturing processes for these chips, such as TSMC's N3P process (3nm class) or possibly even the N2 process, depending on TSMC's capacity and production schedules.

MLID reports that AMD's standard APUs will adopt a chiplet-based approach rather than monolithic designs. A laptop APU codenamed "Medusa Point" will feature a ZEN 6 CCD with 12 cores, 8 RDNA compute units, a 128-bit memory controller, and a large NPU for AI processing.

The desktop version of Medusa Point will likely forego the advanced integrated GPU but may include a substantial NPU unit for local AI computation. Specifically, the desktop variant could utilize two 12-core ZEN 6 CCDs in the AM5 form factor.