AMD is preparing Phoenix3 and Phoenix4 APUs

During her keynote at CES 2023, AMD CEO Dr. Lisa Su unveiled the Ryzen 7040 series, codenamed “Phoenix Point/Phoenix1,” a mobile processor based on the new Zen 4 architecture. It marks AMD’s first foray into chips with AI accelerators. Manufactured using TSMC’s 4nm process, the chip spans 178mm² and contains 25 billion transistors. Its highest specification includes 8 cores and 16 threads, with a GPU comprising up to 12 Compute Units (CUs) built on the RDNA 3 architecture.

Subsequently, there were reports about another chip from AMD named “Phoenix2,” approximately 23% smaller than Phoenix1, measuring only 137mm². It includes two performance cores based on the Zen 4 architecture and four efficiency cores based on the Zen 4c architecture, totaling 6 cores and 12 threads. Additionally, the number of CUs has been reduced to four. Both Zen 4 and Zen 4c architectures share the same ISA, with the latter being a lower-power, streamlined version of the former. They have the same IPC, but Zen 4c boasts a higher power efficiency ratio.

According to VideoCardz, the recent PCI ID database revealed new AMD chips, Phoenix3 (1900) and Phoenix4 (1901), distinctly different from the existing Phoenix (15BF) and Phoenix2 (15C8). These new chips are speculated to be next-generation APUs, possibly part of the Ryzen 8000 series, featuring an updated RDNA 3.5 architecture, rather than RDNA 3.

Furthermore, given AMD’s increasing inclination towards hybrid architectures, Phoenix3 and Phoenix4 may also feature different combinations of Zen 4 and Zen 4c cores. This approach is likely to be AMD’s direction in APU development. According to AMD’s previous statements, their path in hybrid architecture will differ from that of Intel’s.