AMD's next-gen Threadripper 9000 series to feature 16 to 96 cores, all at 350W TDP

A new shipping manifest leak has provided fresh details about AMD's next-generation Threadripper 9000 series processors, codenamed Shimada Peak, including the surprise appearance of a 16-core variant alongside the previously leaked 96-core flagship model. The documents reveal that the high-performance desktop line will maintain its predecessor's power consumption levels despite the company's recent trend toward power efficiency in its mainstream desktop lineup.

The Threadripper 9000 series, expected to feature Zen 5 architecture, is poised to continue AMD’s dominance in the high-performance CPU market. A key highlight from the leaked manifest is the confirmation of a 96-core/192-thread flagship processor, likely to be named the Threadripper 9980X. This model will have a 350-watt thermal design power (TDP), mirroring the TDP of its predecessor, the Threadripper 7980X. Despite the increased core count, it seems that AMD is maintaining this high TDP to prioritize performance over power efficiency, especially given the trend of lower TDPs seen in Ryzen 9000 series chips.

Interestingly, the manifest also mentions a 16-core model with a 350-watt TDP. While this may seem overkill for a processor with fewer cores, it follows the precedent set by previous Threadripper 7000 series chips, all of which featured the same TDP. This 16-core variant is not expected to be part of the regular Threadripper lineup, as AMD’s Threadripper 7000 series began with a 24-core model, and the last 16-core Threadripper was from the 2000 series back in 2018. It’s likely that this 16-core processor will be a PRO model, as previous Threadripper PRO series have included a 16-core option.

Details on clock speeds remain under wraps, but AMD’s Zen 5 architecture promises faster frequencies than Zen 4, as evidenced by the Ryzen 9 9950X’s 5.7 GHz boost clock. The Threadripper 7000 series already reaches up to 5.3 GHz, so a modest uplift is expected. However, massive gains in clock speeds are unlikely due to thermal and architectural constraints.

Another intriguing point from the leaks is the absence of any mention of a model with more than 96 cores. This could signal that the Threadripper 9000 series will not include Zen 5c-based processors. The Zen 5c cores, designed for cloud servers, focus on scaling core counts rather than boosting per-core performance, and their omission from the Threadripper lineup aligns with previous trends, as the Zen 4c cores were also absent from the Threadripper 7000 series.

The Threadripper 9000 series is expected to launch soon, reinforcing AMD’s dominance in the HEDT space and giving power users the tools they need for demanding workloads such as 3D rendering, video editing, and scientific simulations. With Shimada Peak setting a new benchmark, the HEDT landscape is about to get even more competitive.