Good news for and from AMD, the yields for fabbing AMD Ryzen processors seem to be reaching strong values and are reaching numbers passing 80% for fully the functional 8-core parts. Ryzen is fabbed using a 14nm FinFet process. That fabrication node has been in use and refined for over a year now.
Since the Zen processor dies aren't that massive, that helps in wafer yields. In the end, high yields are good for end-users as on the long run it might bring prices down. Simply put higher yields bring the cost to produce a processor down. Meaning in the end with proper volume and market availability, you might see the cost per chip go down. That's good news for AMD alright.
With 14nm FinFET yields this high, the AMD threadripper series processors do make more sense as here as well, these are the same dies doubled up. the 16-core and 32-threaded monster of a processor series will be detailed more during Computex. AMD in a conference call today also verified to us that Treadripper is on track for this summer. The Summer ends in September, so let's make a wild assumption that the actual release could be in an August time-frame.
Also in other news, Threadripper is not a codename as was mentioned in the same conference call, this actually will be the brand name for the 16, 14 and 12 core parts from AMD. The codename remains to be whitehaven. This means that it will not be called a Ryzen 9 series processor (but hey who knows as that could change right?). The Whitehaven platform should include support for quad-channel DDR4 memory support and offer additional PCIe lanes. Some unconfirmed additional rumors on these processors can be read up here.
- Expected to feature up to 16 cores and 32 threads
- All new high end desktop platform that will include more memory and I/O bandwidth than the current AM4 platform
- Targeted at the world’s fastest ultra premium desktop and workstation systems
- Coming in Summer 2017
Dang you guys, we have a wild Summer loaded with new technology ahead of us !
 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ryzen Threadripper | Cores/threads | Clock/boost | Tdp | Memory | Pci-e-lanes |
| 1998X | 16/32 | 3,5/3,9GHz | 155W | Quad Channel DDR4 | 44 |
| 1998 | 16/32 | 3,2/3,6GHz | 155W | Quad Channel DDR4 | 44 |
| 1977X | 14/28 | 3,5/4,0GHz | 155W | Quad Channel DDR4 | 44 |
| 1977 | 14/28 | 3,2/3,7GHz | 140W | Quad Channel DDR4 | 44 |
| 1976X | 12/24 | 3,6/4,1GHz | 125W | Quad Channel DDR4 | 44 |
| 1956X | 12/24 | 3,2/3,8GHz | 125W | Quad Channel DDR4 | 44 |
| 1956 | 12/24 | 3,0/3,7GHz | 125W | Quad Channel DDR4 | 44 |
| 1955X | 10/20 | 3,6/4,0GHz | 125W | Quad Channel DDR4 | 44 |
| 1955 | 10/20 | 3,1/3,7GHz | 125W | Quad Channel DDR4 | 44 |
Originally SP3r2 4094-pin socket was developed for the AMD Naples series processor, but AMD did a 180 and is introducing it also as high-end desktop platform series processors and chipsets. Whitehaven will bring quad-channel towards the processor series and the most high-end process would get a 155W TDP, 125W for the 10 core parts.
AMD Ryzen 14nm Wafer Yields Pass 80% - Threadripper CPUs on track
