AMD could entirely skip TSMC's 3 nm node for consumer processors according to leaked roadmap

Despite TSMC’s efforts to improve its 3 nm nodes throughout 2024, most of its clients who were planning to make big 3 nm orders, including AMD, MediaTek, Nvidia and Qualcomm, are now considering delaying or even skipping the 3 nm process entirely. Industry sources close to DigiTimes report that the geo-political tensions in the area combined with still high production prices and rising inflation could force AMD to skip the 3 nm generation at least for consumer-grade processors.

The DigiTime report includes a detailed AMD roadmap for the next two years, which shows that notebook and desktop processors will stick with the 4 nm nodes, while Nvidia may only jump to 3 nm in 2025. The only AMD processors that could benefit from 3 nm technology are rumored to be the server-grade EPYC chips launching in 2025.

For the desktop sector, the current Zen 4 Ryzen 7000 models are expected to be replaced in 2024 with Granite Ridge Zen 5 models that come with 4 nm cores and 6 nm IO die. Zen 5 is said to be an important generational leap, as it will be based on a new architecture with higher efficiency, re-pipelined front-end and integrated AI optimizations.

Next year, AMD is planning to refresh the Phoenix mobile processors with a “Hawk Point” generation that would still be based on 4 nm Zen 4 cores. The 2025 generation codenamed “Krackan Point will bring the Zen 5 cores to AMD’s mid-range mobile APUs, but these will still be manufactured on 4 nm nodes. Additionally, 2025 will introduce the Escher 4 nm series for entry-level notebooks, similar to Mendocino.

Moore’s Law Is Dead has already revealed three more series for AMD’s high-end mobile processor models scheduled for 2024:

• “Fire Range”, which replaces the current Dragon Range Ryzen 7040HX models, could feature 4 nm Zen 5 cores
• “Strix Halo” and “Strix Point” both feature Zen 5 cores on 4 nm, but it is unclear what purpose they serve since there would be “Hawk Point” for mid-range systems, according to DigiTimes

2025 would also see the launch of 4 nm Zen 5 Threadripper HEDT processors codenamed “Shimada Peak.” Beyond this, DigiTimes mentions that the Zen 6 chips could launch in 2026, but AMD will apparently jump directly to 2 nm.

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