AMD’s EPYC Milan CPUs based on the 7nm+ Zen 3 core architecture was spotted a few days ago and now we have more information from Igor’s Lab. Powering the next-generation servers, AMD EPYC Milan CPUs are expected to deliver major performance gains thanks to the brand new Zen 3 core architecture when they arrive later this year.
AMD 3rd Gen EYPC Milan ‘Genesis’ CPUs Spotted – Up To 64 Zen 3 Cores, 3.0 GHz Clocks on Early A0 Samples
According to the source, at least three engineering samples of the AMD EPYC Milan CPU family were spotted which include two 64 core models and a single 32 core models. Of course, there’s going to be more models in the final lineup but these are the engineering samples that leaked & which we can talk about.
The AMD EPYC Milan CPUs will be based on the 7nm Zen 3 architecture which is a brand new chip design compared to Zen 2. The Zen 3 cores will be fabricated on the TSMC 7nm+ process node and are expected to be shipping later this year to the server landscape. AMD is expected to use the new EPYC 7**3 branding for its 3rd Gen EPYC family.
AMD EPYC Milan (7nm+ Zen 3) ES CPU Specifications:
So coming to the specifications of the three parts, we are first going to talk about the two 64 core variants. These parts have the 100-000000114-07 and 100-000000114-09 OPN code with the A0 revision. The 64 core parts are based on an 8+1 die configuration (8 Zen 3 CCDs and 1 I/O die). The chips offer 64 cores, 128 threads, 2 MB of L1 cache, 32 MB of L2 cache, and 256 MB of L3 cache but each Zen 3 CCD has access to a larger pool of L3 cache since the CCX is now a singular unit with 8 cores rather than splitting it into two 4+4 configurations. This way, the CCD can access the whole 32 MB of L3 cache rather than the share 16+16 MB L3 cache on the previous generation EPYC CPUs.
The two variants feature variable clock speeds of 3.0 GHz at max and 1.2 GHz at the lowest P2 state but these are early samples and final variants are expected to feature clock speeds of up to 3.4GHz which are the same as the EPYC 7742 (EPYC Rome) CPU and may suggest that AMD is relying on the new architecture and process node to deliver performance/efficiency gains rather than focusing at higher clock speeds. Both 64 core parts at rated at 225W with a maximum TDP of 240W.
The other variant is the 100-000000117-03 which features 32 cores and 64 threads. This chip has a total of 1 MB of L1 cache, 16 MB of L2 cache, & 128 MB of L3 cache. The chip also comes with a 4+1 die configuration. The CPU features a maximum frequency of 3.00 GHz in its ES state and has a TDP of 180W (200W cTDP up). All three engineering samples support DDR4-3200 MHz memory.
Now here’s the interesting part, the 100-000000114-07 EPYC Milan CPU was already found in the last post and featured much lower clock speeds suggesting that it was an even earlier variant than the one we are talking about today. With the launch closing in, earlier ES models are bound to pop up in leaks but we should always keep in mind that these chips may or may not match the final clocks which one can expect from retail units.
AMD CPU Roadmap (2018-2020)
| Ryzen Family | Ryzen 1000 Series | Ryzen 2000 Series | Ryzen 3000 Series | Ryzen 4000 Series | Ryzen 5000 Series |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Architecture | Zen (1) | Zen (1) / Zen+ | Zen (2) / Zen+ | Zen (3) / Zen 2 | Zen (4) / Zen 3 |
| Process Node | 14nm | 14nm / 12nm | 7nm | 7nm+ / 7nm | 5nm / 7nm |
| High End Server (SP3) | EPYC ‘Naples’ | EPYC ‘Naples’ | EPYC ‘Rome’ | EPYC ‘Milan’ | EPYC ‘Genoa’ |
| Max Server Cores / Threads | 32/64 | 32/64 | 64/128 | TBD | TBD |
| High End Desktop (TR4) | Ryzen Threadripper 1000 Series (White Haven) | Ryzen Threadripper 2000 Series (Coflax) | Ryzen Threadripper 3000 Series (Castle Peak) | Ryzen Threadripper 4000 Series (Genesis Peak) | Ryzen Threadripper 5000 Series |
| Max HEDT Cores / Threads | 16/32 | 32/64 | 64/128 | 64/128? | TBD |
| Mainstream Desktop (AM4) | Ryzen 1000 Series (Summit Ridge) | Ryzen 2000 Series (Pinnacle Ridge) | Ryzen 3000 Series (Matisse) | Ryzen 4000 Series (Vermeer) | Ryzen 5000 Series (Warhol) |
| Max Mainstream Cores / Threads | 8/16 | 8/16 | 16/32 | TBD | TBD |
| Budget APU (AM4) | N/A | Ryzen 2000 Series (Raven Ridge) | Ryzen 3000 Series (Picasso Zen+) | Ryzen 4000 Series (Renoir Zen 2) | Ryzen 5000 Series (Cezanne Zen 3) |
| Year | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020/2021 | 2021/2022? |
Here’s Everything We Know About AMD’s 3rd Gen EPYC Milan ‘Zen 3’ CPU Family
The AMD EPYC Milan processors would succeed the current EPYC Rome lineup. The fundamental change for the EPYC Milan lineup would be the new Zen 3 core architecture which will be based upon an advanced 7nm process node. From what we know and what AMD has officially shown, the AMD Zen 3 based EPYC Milan processors would focus primarily on overall performance per watt enhancements but that doesn’t mean we won’t be looking at core updates.
AMD has so far confirmed themselves that Zen 3 brings a brand new CPU architecture, which helps deliver significant IPC gains, faster clocks, and even higher core counts than before. Some rumors have even pointed to a 17% increase in IPC and a 50% increase in Zen 3’s floating-point operations along with a major cache redesign.
When asked about what kind of performance gain Milan’s CPU core microarchitecture, which is known as Zen 3, will deliver relative to the Zen 2 microarchitecture that Rome relies on in terms of instructions processed per CPU clock cycle (IPC), Norrod observed that — unlike Zen 2, which was more of an evolution of the Zen microarchitecture that powers first-gen Epyc CPUs — Zen 3 will be based on a completely new architecture.
Norrod did qualify his remarks by pointing out that Zen 2 delivered a bigger IPC gain than what’s normal for an evolutionary upgrade — AMD has said it’s about 15% on average — since it implemented some ideas that AMD originally had for Zen but had to leave on the cutting board. However, he also asserted that Zen 3 will deliver performance gains “right in line with what you would expect from an entirely new architecture.”
In a recent slide, AMD showed their Zen 3 based 7nm processors offering better performance per watt than Intel’s 10nm Ice Lake-SP Xeon chips. As for the new features, other than featuring its Zen 3 core design, Milan would offer socket compatibility with SP3 platforms, would feature support for DDR4 memory, PCIe 4.0 interface, and is stated to offer 64 cores and 2x the threads (128 threads). The chips will have a TDP rated at 120-225W which is similar to existing Rome parts.
So summing everything up for EPYC Milan, we are looking at the following main features:
- Advanced 7nm Zen 3 cores (~64 core / 128 thread)
- Pin Compatible With SP3 Socket
- 120W-225W TDP SKUs
- PCIe 4.0 Support
- DDR4 Memory Support
- Launch in 2020
Moving forward, as far as the launch date is concerned, AMD has reaffirmed that EPYC Milan CPUs will ship in late 2020. The CPUs will go head to head with Intel’s Cooper Lake-SP 14nm and Ice Lake-SP 10nm CPUs which will be available this year.
