RFAMD Zen Architecture: Versions and Key Differences
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The AMD Zen architecture has undergone several iterations since its inception, with each version bringing enhancements in performance, efficiency, and feature set. The main versions of the Zen architecture are Zen, Zen+, Zen 2, Zen 3, and Zen 4.
The following table mentions the key differences between AMD Zen Architecture versions Zen 1, Zen 1+, Zen 2, Zen 3, and Zen 4.
| Features | Zen 1 | Zen 1+ | Zen 2 | Zen 3 | Zen 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year of Introduction | March 2017 | April 2018 | July 2019 | November 2020 | Sep. 2022 |
| Process Technology | 14nm FinFET | 12nm FinFET | 7nm FinFET | Enhanced 7nm FinFET | 5nm FinFET |
| IPC improvement | Baseline | ~ 3 - 5% over Zen | ~ 15% over Zen+ | ~ 19% over Zen 2 | Expected further gains |
| Core complex (CCX) | 4 cores per CCX | 4 cores per CCX | 4 cores per CCX | Unified 8-core CCX | 8 cores per CCX |
| Cache improvements | Shared L3 per CCX | Reduced latency | Larger L3, improved hierarchy | Unified larger L3 | Expected enhancements |
| Floating point performance | Baseline | Improved latency | 2x performance per core | Enhanced throughput | Further enhancements |
| SMT | Yes | Yes | Yes | Improved | Expected improvements |
| Memory support | DDR4 | DDR4 | DDR4, PCIe 4.0 | DDR4, PCIe 4.0 | DDR5, LPDDR5, PCIe 5.0 |
| Security features | Baseline | Improved | Enhanced (Spectre/Meltdown mitigations) | Enhanced | Further enhancements |
| Power efficiency | Improved over previous AMD architectures | Improved over Zen | Significant improvements | Further improved | Expected improvements |
| Thermal management | Baseline | Improved | Enhanced | Improved | Expected enhancements |
The AMD Zen architecture has seen consistent improvements with each new generation, focusing on increasing performance, efficiency, and feature set. The transition from Zen to Zen 4 shows a clear trajectory of technological advancements, especially in manufacturing processes, IPC gains, cache hierarchy, memory support and power efficiency. Each iteration of the Zen architecture builds on the strengths of its predecessor, making AMD processors increasingly competitive in the high-performance computing market.
