AMD Zen 5: Linux Patches Roll Out

As the release date for AMD‘s Zen 5 architecture processors draws near, AMD’s engineers are diligently developing the necessary software adaptations to ensure that these new processors deliver full functionality and robust stability upon their release.

According to Phoronix, AMD has contributed new patches to Linux kernel version 6.9, which prominently features Zen 5 tags, clearly intended as optimization patches for the Zen 5 architecture. These patches contain numerous CPU IDs, with AMD’s Zen 5 processors being designated in the kernel as Family 26 or Family 1Ah. The Linux kernel already recognizes AMD Family 26 processors with model IDs ranging from 0 to 15, 32 to 47, 64 to 79, and 112 to 127 as Zen 5 processors. Additionally, the new patches classify model IDs from 0x10 to 0x1f (16 to 31) as part of the Zen 5 category.

Currently, these IDs are merely a series of numbers to us, without a clear indication of what they represent. Not all these model IDs need to be allocated to Zen 5 SKUs by AMD; some may simply be placeholders. Naturally, AMD’s Zen 5 architecture includes a variety of derivatives, such as the EPYC series’ Turin, and within the Ryzen series, the Granite Ridge, Fire Range, Strix Point, and Kraken Point variants.

Motherboard manufacturers are also actively developing BIOS compatibility for the Ryzen 9000 processors. ASUS and Gigabyte have already released AM5 motherboard BIOS updates compatible with the Ryzen 9000 series. AMD’s Zen 5 processors are likely to reveal some details at COMPUTEX Taipei 2024, although their official launch will occur after the expo.