AMD plans Zen fireworks for 2025: Gorgon Point, Soundwave, Shimada Peak and Grado in the works

AMD is obviously not bored at the moment, as the leaks of the last few days cast a thick shadow over the roadmap for the coming six months. Apparently they are planning several CPU families – for notebooks, desktops, workstations and servers – based on Zen 5 and even the first Zen 6 offshoots. Names such as Gorgon Point, Soundwave, Shimada Peak and Grado sound less like a sober product strategy and more like a poorly disguised Transformers reboot.

Gorgon Point: APUs for AM5 and FP8

Probably the most central component of the upcoming desktop offensive goes by the name of Gorgon Point. Based on Zen 5 and equipped with an RDNA 3.5 graphics unit, this APU family is set to replace the current Ryzen 8000G series. The AM5 socket will continue to be used. The desktop version is known as the Ryzen 9000G, which at least nominally suggests a certain continuation – even if the difference to the Strix Point family is becoming increasingly blurred.

In the mobile segment, Gorgon Point is differentiated into three sub-families:

• Gorgon Point 1: Up to 12 cores
• Gorgon Point 2: Up to 8 cores
• Gorgon Point 3: Up to 6 cores

Exact technical details are not yet available, but it is to be expected that all models will continue to rely on FP8. AMD is thus sticking to its strategy of serving one and the same socket with as many variants as possible – which pleases OEMs but increasingly confuses customers.

Krackan Point: The refresh that nobody asked for

In parallel to the Gorgon offensive, AMD is planning a refresh of the already launched Krackan Point series. Zen 5 is also on board here, also on FP8 – but without any major innovations. Apparently, this is a marginally revised version of existing designs, primarily intended for new product cycles in the notebook segment. The overview is slowly getting lost, as Strix Point also uses FP8. The consequence: three platforms on one base with almost identical core architectures but different feature sets. In future, Medusa Point, which is based on Zen 6 and uses the slightly larger FP10 socket, will be responsible for particularly compact systems. However, this is currently nothing more than a placeholder with potential for future confusion.

Soundwave: Zen 6 in a hybrid test run

Another project is much more exciting: Soundwave. This is said to be an early test run for a hybrid architecture based on Zen 6. According to the leak, two performance cores and four efficiency cores are to be found on a package with an FF5 socket – the first of its kind. AMD thus appears to be attempting a gentle approach to Intel’s hybrid concept. Presumably not out of conviction, but because the architecture strategists from Microsoft and Qualcomm currently have more say with OEMs than classic desktop purists.

Shimada Peak: Threadripper lives – but in well-dosed form

AMD is keeping its Threadripper series alive in the workstation segment. With Shimada Peak, a new Ryzen Threadripper 9000 series is apparently in the starting blocks. The top model will continue to come with up to 96 Zen 5 cores – almost an old-school statement given the thermal conditions. More interesting, however, is a rumored entry-level model with 12 cores. This could be AMD’s attempt to make the Threadripper platform attractive for smaller studios and semi-professional workloads – provided the price plays along.

Grado & Fire Range: EPYC for everyone

AMD is also dividing up responsibilities in the server and data center sector. Grado is to bring an affordable EPYC variant for AM5. The series will operate under the name EPYC 4005 and is based on Zen 5. Target group: entry servers, workgroup setups and edge applications. Fire Range, on the other hand, is aimed at the mobile server sector, i.e. specialized embedded solutions or cloud edge applications. The FL1 socket indicates compact designs. Both families exemplify AMD’s strategy of serving as many segments as possible with minimal design adjustments – a kind of “Zen 5 to rule them all”, only without the fantasy pathos.

Diversity with a risk of confusion

The term “architectural segment refinement” is a good way of describing what AMD is currently preparing. Every niche market, no matter how small, is being served, sockets are being used several times and models are being placed next to each other, some of which are almost indistinguishable. This may be pleasant for OEMs, but it is increasingly confusing for end customers.

In technical terms, it remains to be seen whether Zen 5 can deliver what the roadmap promises on a broad scale. And whether Zen 6 will actually be competitive with hybrid designs. One thing is clear: AMD remains aggressive – but in a way that looks more like area bombardment than surgical precision.

Source: Videocardz, instlatx64, Olrak29 via X