AMD launches Zen-based datacenter processors and new GPU accelerators for servers

AMD has launched its EPYC 7000 series high-performance datacenter processors. AMD was joined by multiple customers and partners at the global launch event on June 20 in presenting an array of systems, product demonstrations, and customer testimonials. The EPYC comes with up to 32 high-performance Zen cores and an exclusive feature set.

At the event, AMD also launched Radeon Instinct GPU server accelerators including Radeon Instinct MI25, MI18 and MI6 as well as ROCm 1.6 software platform to help improve performance and efficiency for deep learning and artificial intelligence (AI) calculation.

The Radeon Instinct MI25 features AMD's new Vega architecture using a 14nm FinFET process and is suitable for large-scale machine intelligence and deep learning applications. The MI18 uses the high-performance, low-power Fiji GPU architecture and is designed for machine learning calculation and all sorts of HPC applications, AMD said. The MI6 is based on Polaris architecture and is also created for HPC, machine learning and Edge intelligence applications. AMD will start supplying the Radeon Instinct products to partners in the third quarter of 2017.

Worldwide major server manufacturers also introduced products based on AMD EPYC 7000-series processors at the launch, including HPE, Dell, Asustek, Gigabyte, Inventec, Lenovo, Sugon, Supermicro, Tyan, and Wistron. Primary hypervisor and server operating system providers Microsoft, Red Hat, and VMware showcased optimized support for EPYC, while key server hardware ecosystem partners Mellanox, Samsung Electronics, and Xilinx were also featured in EPYC-optimized platforms.

All EPYC processors combine innovative security features, enterprise-class reliability, and support a full feature-set, according to AMD. An AMD EPYC 7601 CPU-based one-socket system shifts expectations for single socket server performance, helping lower total-cost-of-ownership (TCO), providing up to 20% capex savings compared to the Intel Xeon E5-2660 v4-based two-socket system, claimed AMD.

The EPYC processors feature scalable system on chip (SoC) design ranging from 8-core to 32-core, supporting two high-performance threads per core. They also feature memory bandwidth configuration with eight channels of memory on every EPYC device. In a two-socket server, there is support for up to 32 DIMMS of DDR4 on 16 memory channels, delivering up to 4TB of total memory capacity.

The 32-core EPYC 7601, 7551 and 7501 are priced starting at US$3,400, while the EPYC 7451 and 7401 are starting at US$1,850, the EPYC 7351, 7301 and 7281 US$650 and the EPYC 7251 US$475. For one-socket solutions, the EPYC 7551P is priced at US$2,100, the EPYC 7401P US$1,075 and the EPYC 7351P US$750.

AMD CEO Lisa Su revealed at the event that following the releases of these 14nm Zen-based Naples series EPYC processors, the company is set to release its 7nm Zen 2-based Rome series processors between 2017-2020 to succeed the Naples series. In 2020, AMD will then announce the next-generation 7nm Zen 3-based Milan series.

AMD may switch the manufacturing partner for its 7nm processors from GlobalFoundries to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), which would improve yield rates and costs, according to industry sources.

AMD EPYC datacenter processor
Photo: Monica Chen, Digitimes, June 2017