AMD‘s latest server processor generation, the EPYC 9005 series, features significant changes in the organization of Zen 5 and Zen 5c-based dies. Images of one of the CPUs with the lid off show the rectangular shape of the 16-core CCDs, differing from the almost square shape of the 8-core CCDs.

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Published on the Chinese forum Bilibili, the registry shows a side-by-side comparison of the different dies, clearly highlighting the change in AMD’s approach with the EPYC 9005 series. This series is equipped with Zen 5 and Zen 5c cores, offering the highest core count among x86 architecture SKUs.

While this design is not new, as AMD had already released renderings of the interior of its current server processors, this is the first time someone has had the courage to open one up and show the real die.

Zen 5c Architecture Differentiators

The design with Zen 5c has a differentiator: the shared cache memory L3 among all cores. Each 16-core CCD die has 32 MB. This way, communication between cores and cache memory occurs more quickly and efficiently.

This design requires more space inside the CPU, as it is longer, measuring 5.7 mm by 14.83 mm, unlike the 7.4 mm by 11.26 mm of the standard Zen 5 core die. There is also a difference in architecture: Zen 5c is made in 3 nm and Zen 5 in 4 nm, both from TSMC.

The Zen 5c architecture is similar to Intel’s Skymont efficiency cores in recent generations of Intel Core CPUs. However, in AMD’s technology, the architecture is the same as the standard version, unlike the rival that has different architectures for performance and efficient cores.

The EPYC 9005 series offers various CPUs with 8 to 192 cores, between 64 and 512 MB of cache L3, and TDP between 125 and 500 W.

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