AMD is a company that specializes in designing and producing high-performance and adaptive computing solutions for a variety of markets, including data center, embedded, client, and gaming. AMD has a history of innovation and leadership in the semiconductor industry, delivering cutting-edge products that power some of the most demanding applications in the world.
AMD’s strategy for growth is based on its expanded portfolio of products that span the $300 billion market for high-performance and adaptive computing solutions. AMD has unveiled its next-generation hardware and software roadmaps, which include new architectures, process technologies, and chiplet designs that aim to deliver significant performance, efficiency, and scalability improvements over the current generation.
AMD’s CPU Core Roadmap
AMD’s CPU core roadmap covers the period from 2019 to 2024, and includes the following milestones:
- Zen 4: The next generation of AMD’s x86 CPU core, expected to power the world’s first high-performance 5nm CPUs later this year. Zen 4 is expected to increase IPC (instructions per cycle) by 8%-10%1 and deliver more than a 25% increase in performance-per-watt2 and 35% overall performance increase compared to Zen 3 when running desktop applications2.
- Zen 4c: A variant of Zen 4 that is optimized for density and cloud workloads. Zen 4c cores will support threading, enabling AMD to create ultra-dense server chips with up to 128 cores and 256 threads, such as the upcoming EPYC Bergamo processors.
- Zen 4 with 3D V-Cache: A version of Zen 4 that incorporates AMD’s innovative 3D V-Cache technology, which stacks SRAM (static random-access memory) on top of the compute dies using a hybrid bonding process. This technology increases the cache size and bandwidth, resulting in higher performance and lower latency for certain workloads. AMD has already launched Ryzen desktop PC models and Milan-X server models with 3D V-Cache.
- Zen 5: The successor to Zen 4, planned for 2024. Zen 5 is built from the ground up to deliver performance and efficiency leadership across a broad range of workloads and features. Zen 5 will include optimizations for AI (artificial intelligence) and ML (machine learning), as well as support for new instruction sets and security features.
- Zen 5c: A variant of Zen 5 that is optimized for density and cloud workloads, similar to Zen 4c.
- Zen 5 with 3D V-Cache: A version of Zen 5 that incorporates AMD’s 3D V-Cache technology, similar to Zen 4 with 3D V-Cache.
AMD’s GPU and Adaptive Computing Roadmap
AMD’s GPU (graphics processing unit) and adaptive computing roadmap covers the period from 2020 to 2024, and includes the following milestones:
- RDNA 2: The current generation of AMD’s gaming architecture, which powers the Radeon RX 6000 series of graphics cards, as well as the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S consoles. RDNA 2 delivers up to a 50% improvement in performance-per-watt over the previous generation, as well as features such as ray tracing, variable rate shading, and Infinity Cache.
- CDNA: The current generation of AMD’s compute architecture, which powers the Radeon Instinct MI100 accelerator for HPC (high-performance computing) and AI applications. CDNA delivers up to a 7x improvement in performance-per-watt over the previous generation, as well as features such as Infinity Fabric interconnects, HBM2 memory, and ROCm software stack.
- RDNA 3: The next generation of AMD’s gaming architecture, expected to launch later this year. RDNA 3 will combine a chiplet design, next-generation Infinity Cache technology, leading-edge 5nm manufacturing technology, and other enhancements to deliver more than a 50% improvement in performance-per-watt over RDNA 2.
- CDNA 2: The next generation of AMD’s compute architecture, expected to launch later this year. CDNA 2 will introduce AMD’s first data center GPU with an integrated CPU core, the Radeon Instinct MI200 accelerator. CDNA 2 will also feature a chiplet design, next-generation Infinity Cache technology, HBM2e memory, Infinity Fabric interconnects, ROCm software stack, and support for PCIe Gen5 and CXL protocols.
- CDNA 3: The successor to CDNA 2, planned for late 2023 or early 2024. CDNA 3 will combine multiple chiplets with different types of compute engines (such as scalar cores, vector cores, matrix cores, tensor cores), as well as features such as next-generation Infinity Cache technology, HBM memory, 4th generation Infinity Architecture, and 3D die stacking. CDNA 3 will deliver up to a 5x improvement in performance-per-watt over CDNA 2.
AMD’s 4th Generation Infinity Architecture
AMD’s 4th generation Infinity Architecture is a key enabler of its next-generation products, as it provides a high-speed interconnect that allows seamless integration of both AMD IP and 3rd party chiplets. This architecture enables AMD to create an entirely new class of high-performance and adaptive processors that can leverage the best of breed technologies from different domains and vendors. The 4th generation Infinity Architecture also provides a unified memory programming model that simplifies the development and deployment of heterogeneous applications.
AMD’s Market Opportunities and Competitive Advantages
AMD has a strong position in the high-performance and adaptive computing market, as it offers a comprehensive portfolio of products that address the diverse needs of customers across various segments. AMD’s products deliver superior performance, efficiency, scalability, and flexibility, as well as support for open standards and ecosystems. AMD’s products also benefit from its strong brand recognition, loyal customer base, and strategic partnerships with leading OEMs (original equipment manufacturers), cloud providers, and software developers.
AMD’s market opportunities are expected to grow significantly in the coming years, as the demand for high-performance and adaptive computing solutions increases across various domains, such as cloud, edge, AI, gaming, HPC, and embedded. AMD estimates that its total addressable market (TAM) will expand from $79 billion in 2020 to $110 billion in 2023, and further to $300 billion in 2025. AMD aims to capture a larger share of this market by continuing to invest in innovation and execution, as well as expanding its product portfolio to address new markets and use cases.
Conclusion
AMD is a leader in high-performance and adaptive computing, offering a range of products that deliver exceptional performance, efficiency, and scalability for various markets and applications. AMD has a clear vision and strategy for growth, based on its next-generation hardware and software roadmaps, its expanded product portfolio addressing new markets, and its strategies to accelerate data center growth and deliver pervasive AI leadership. AMD is well-positioned to capitalize on the growing opportunities in the high-performance and adaptive computing market, as it leverages its core competencies, competitive advantages, and customer relationships.
