Beyond 2025: AMD Commits to AM5, Next-Gen Ryzen & APUs Fuel Platform Future

Last year, alongside the launch of the Ryzen 7000 series processors, AMD committed to support the AM5 platform at least until 2025 and to continue expanding the Ryzen desktop platform on it in the coming years.

During an interview with OverclockersUK, AMD’s Vice President and General Manager of Client Channel Business, David Macfee, reaffirmed their commitment to the AM5 platform. He expressed AMD’s intention to maintain the AM5 platform for as long as possible, currently adhering to its post-2025 statement. The platform is slated for a significant update in 2024, with the introduction of the new Ryzen 8000G series APU and the next-generation Zen 5 architecture Granite Ridge desktop CPU. The new CPUs will retain both the standard and 3D V-Cache versions, allowing AMD to maintain a strong competitive edge in the high-end market.

By 2025, AMD may release at least one more series of processors for the AM5 platform, after which they will consider whether to continue using this platform for a longer period or shift to an entirely new platform. This will be a significant decision, as the previous AM4 platform’s lifespan contributed greatly to the success of Ryzen processors and garnered considerable user acclaim. Indeed, compared to its competitors, AMD’s platform upgrade strategy has been notably more consumer-friendly.

AMD had previously stated that the decision to switch to a new CPU socket depends on the necessity of integrating new features. The transition from AM4 to AM5 involved upgrading to DDR5 memory and PCIe 5.0, and the new architecture CPUs required higher power, hence the switch to AM5. Even a year after AM5’s launch, AMD continued to release new CPUs for the AM4 platform, with plans to launch new Ryzen 5000 processors next year. Considering many users are still on the AM4 platform, where upgrading the platform would mean replacing the CPU, motherboard, and memory, it is understandable that users would prefer to continue using their existing platform. Launching new CPUs can further extend the lifespan of the older platform.

David Macfee briefly mentioned the memory support and expansion on the AM5 platform. AMD certainly plans to enhance memory support as the AM5 platform evolves. Initially, most AM5 platforms could only reach DDR5-6000, but now, with new firmware and BIOS releases, frequencies above DDR5-7000 are easily achievable. Thus, it’s reasonable to expect AMD and its partners to bring improved memory support for the AM5 platform.

It is still unclear if the AM5 will have as long a lifespan as its predecessor, AM4. It’s not implausible for AMD to keep the platform viable until the end of the DDR5 memory lifecycle. The power headroom of the AM5 platform is still ample. However, it’s uncertain if the platform has provisions for the next-generation PCIe, which is expected to arrive before DDR6.