AND Ryzen 8000 technical sample appeared in the database of MilkyWay@Home, a distributed computing platform that has been the source of several AMD leaks in the past, as engineers regularly use the platform to test unreleased hardware.

The model in question is identified by the ID “100-000000994-03_N (AMD Family 26 Model 32 Stepping 0)”. This indicates that this is a technical sample belonging to the next generation accelerated processor units from AMD with ZEN 5 architecture.

Codenamed ‘Strix Point’, the series is set to replace the current ‘Phoenix’ processors, updated at last CES with the Ryzen 7000 Mobile for notebooks. In addition to more performance and efficiency, AMD is expected to definitively clarify its offering and stop combining CPU (Zen2, Zen3, Zen3+ and Zen4) and GPU (Vega, RDNA2 and RDNA3) microarchitectures, as was the case with the 7000 series, with a “remake” that ultimately confused consumers.

All indications are that the Ryzen 8000 will be something different and all will use the ZEN 5 architecture. The technical sample confirms that these Strix Points will offer monolithic variants of the chiplets 12-core and 16-core. The 12-core version will potentially combine four Zen 5 cores and eight Zen 5c cores with manufacturing in advanced processes down to 3 nanometers.

In this type of model, graphics are as important as process performance and here AMD can show the potential of its technologies with the RDNA 3.5 architecture (Navi 3.5). They will contain more cores and significantly faster performance. The 12-core version is expected to feature 16 CUs, while the 16-core version is expected to feature 40 CUs and 40 TOPS AI engine.

Good news for achieving the necessary balance between performance and autonomy. And also the cost, because you don’t have to mount a dedicated graphics card. If AMD can get anywhere near the performance of its mobile APUs to what its dedicated ones offer, it will really be set for some stiff competition from Intel with the launch of Meteor Lake and Arrow Lake CPUs next year. Note that AMD has significantly reduced Intel’s share in desktops, but continues to broadly dominate the market in notebooks.

In terms of availability, the launch of the Ryzen 8000 APU should take place in 2024, as well as the desktop version. All will use the AM5 socket, for which AMD has committed to at least four years of support until the next AM6 arrives in 2026.