AMD (NASDAQ: AMD) today ushered in a new era for high-performance server processors and the datacenter with EPYC. With its high core count, superior memory bandwidth, and unparalleled support for high-speed input/output channels in a single chip1, EPYC aims to revolutionize the dual-socket server market while simultaneously reshaping expectations for single-socket servers. Previously codenamed "Naples," this new family of high-performance products for cloud-based and traditional on-premise datacenters will deliver the highly successful "Zen" x86 processing engine scaling up to 32 physical cores2. The first EPYC-based servers will launch in June with widespread support from original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and channel partners.
Upcoming Launch of EPYC Promises Dynamic Dual-Socket Systems, Disruptive Single-Socket Platforms
"With the new EPYC processor, AMD takes the next step on our journey in high-performance computing," said Forrest Norrod, senior vice president and general manager of Enterprise, Embedded & Semi-Custom Products. "AMD EPYC processors will set a new standard for two-socket performance and scalability. As we demonstrated today, we see further opportunity with the industry's first no-compromise one-socket solutions. We believe that this new product line-up has the potential to reshape significant portions of the datacenter market with its unique combination of performance, design flexibility, and disruptive TCO."
Today, at the 2017 AMD Financial Analyst Day, a single EPYC processor was shown exceeding the performance of a competitive mid-range, two-socket / two-processor platform in a head-to-head comparison. EPYC exceeds today's top competitive offering on critical parameters, with 45% more cores1, 60% more input/output capacity (I/O)2, and 122% more memory bandwidth3.
"Dropbox is currently evaluating AMD EPYC CPUs in-house, and we are impressed with the initial performance we see across workloads in single-socket configurations," said Akhil Gupta, vice president of infrastructure at Dropbox. "The combination of core performance, memory bandwidth, and I/O support make EPYC a unique offering. We look forward to continuing to evaluate EPYC as an option for our infrastructure."
EPYC Features
- A highly scalable, 32-core System-on-a-chip (SoC) design, with support for two high-performance threads per core
- Industry-leading memory bandwidth, with 8 channels of memory per EPYC device3. In a dual-socket server, support for up to 32 DIMMS of DDR4 on 16 memory channels, delivering up to 4 terabytes of total memory capacity.
- Complete SoC with fully integrated, high-speed I/O supporting 128 lanes of PCIe 3, negating the need for a separate chip-set
- Highly-optimized cache structure for high-performance, energy-efficient computing
- Infinity Fabric coherent interconnect for two EPYC CPUs in a dual-socket system
Dedicated security hardware
"Today's single-socket server offerings push buyers toward purchasing a more expensive two-socket server just to get the memory bandwidth and I/O they need to support the compute performance of the cores," said Matthew Eastwood, senior vice president, IDC. "There are no fully-featured, high-performance server processors available today in a single-socket configuration. EPYC changes that dynamic by offering a single-processor solution that delivers the right-sized number of high-performance cores, memory, and I/O for today's workloads."
Last updated: Sep 1, 2017 at 12:58 am CDT