There’s a rumor that AMD has changed its plans to use 7nm EUV nodes to launch new architectures. The rumor suggests that AMD has chosen to use 5nm process nodes to launch its Ryzen 4000 series instead.
We know that TSMC, who manufacture AMD’s nodes, recently began mass production of 5nm wafers in April. They plan to start production on an enhanced 5nm+ node in Q4 of this year. This development appears to coincide with the Ryzen 4000 launch which was reportedly planned for September/October time.
According to DigiTimes who first reported on this story, AMD could be using TSMC’s new nodes:
“Rumor has it that AMD and TSMC have adjusted their foundry blueprints. The Ryzen 4000 desktop processor series originally expected to launch at the end of 2020 will now use TSMC’s enhanced 5nm processor (5nm Plus) instead of 7nm EUV,” DigiTimes said.
What Does AMD Say?
Commenting on the rumors, AMD’s CEO Dr. Lisa Su mentioned that any new nodes will usually first end up as mobile processors. This is because they’re easier to manufacture. When talking about the 5nm node, she did not mention Zen 3 but did refer to Zen 4 a few times.
This could contradict the rumor that we’ll see AMD suddenly switch gears at the end of the year. It would certainly be a risky, last-minute decision for AMD to make if they did switch to 5nm. It’s always interesting to speculate though.
Interestingly, it looks like Nvidia is also rumored to use a 5nm process node from TSMC for their Hopper series. However, that appears to be a plan for the distant future. At the moment, Nvidia seems to be pretty focused on Ampere.
Overall, it looks like the rumors could be jumping the gun a bit but if they are true, it will certainly mean AMD makes a huge statement against the competition.
What do you think of this AMD rumor? Do you think we’ll see a 5nm Vermeer processor soon? We’d love to hear your thoughts.