AMD Zen 5c is codenamed “Prometheus”, AMD selects TSMC 3nm & Samsung 4nm to manufacture next-generation chips
Previous reports indicated that AMD plans to launch the novel Zen 5 architecture in 2024, with related products potentially releasing in the first half of the year. The new AMD Zen 5 series architecture will include Zen 5, Zen 5 V-Cache, and Zen 5c designs, available in both 4nm and 3nm versions.
According to Wccftech, a comprehensive data list compiled from LinkedIn employee profiles and project compilations revealed AMD engineers listing a range of process nodes for developing next-generation IP. While it has been long speculated that AMD would mix 4nm and 3nm processes in the Zen 5 series architecture cores, specific foundries have not been disclosed. This new information suggests that AMD will choose TSMC’s 3nm and Samsung’s 4nm processes to manufacture their next-generation chips.
Reports as early as 2021 suggested that AMD might shift some of its production to Samsung, planning to use Samsung’s 4LPP process (the second-generation 4nm level process). It is speculated that AMD may already be testing chips manufactured by Samsung, but current indications suggest that primary products are unlikely to switch to Samsung foundries.
This leak also revealed another piece of information: the AMD Zen 5c architecture core is codenamed “Prometheus.” Earlier, an AMD engineer on LinkedIn had leaked the codename for the Zen 6 architecture core, “Morpheus.” The known codenames for the Zen 4/5/6 series architecture cores and their potential corresponding processes are as follows:
- – Zen 4 (5nm) – Persephone
- – Zen 4c (5nm) – Dionysus
- – Zen 5 (3/4nm?) – Nirvana
- – Zen 5c (3/4nm?) – Prometheus
- – Zen 6 (2nm) – Morpheus
Between 2024 and 2025, AMD is expected to introduce a range of products based on the Zen 5 series architecture, including Strix Point (Ryzen laptops), Granite Ridge (Ryzen desktops), and Turin (EPYC servers), with the possibility of additional products emerging.
