Up to 96 Cores With 1P and 2P Solutions

AMD’s portfolio of embedded products is not one to underestimate, but it’s not a product line-up that should be underestimated. AMD’s “4th Platform” offers an amazing range of chips for embedded devices and applications, from tiny chips for industrial computers and edge devices to powerful EPYC processors designed for high-throughput workloads. We have you covered. The latter is AMD’s focus as Embedded World 2023 kicks off. AMD is a key fixture in its global trade show season to highlight and release embedded and IoT solutions, using the show to showcase its next-generation embedded processors based on the highly efficient Zen 4 microarchitecture We are pleased to announce the EPYC Embedded 9004 series.

Derived from AMD’s standard EPYC 9004 chip for servers, the AMD EPYC Embedded 9004 processor targets embedded applications such as automation, telecommunications, Internet of Things (IoT), and edge computing. Use cases where high power efficiency is a strict technical requirement. Available in both 1P and 2P configuration options, AMD’s EPYC Embedded 9004 series processors feature up to 96 cores (192 threads) per chip with up to 384MB L3 cache and more than enough (12) channels It has a memory controller. DDR5-4800 ECC memory in RDIMM, NVDIMM-N, and 3DS RDIMM flavors.

AMD EPYC Embedded 9004 Series: Up to 96 cores, up to 400W cTDP

AMD’s EYPC Embedded processors are deployed in a wide variety of applications and industries. One of the most important use cases involves the industrial automation industry, where massive computing power is required and massive amounts of data can be processed in real time. Other industries requiring high-performance, high-efficiency embedded solutions include the medical imaging industry, edge computing, networking, and telecommunications.

Two key requirements for embedded solutions are power efficiency and performance per watt. This is why his latest EPYC embedded 9004 chip should be fit for purpose. Built on AMD’s recently released ‘Genoa’ EPYC 9004 server processor, AMD has assembled 10 new SKUs for the embedded market to deliver cutting-edge performance while maintaining unmatched power-efficient performance focus on doing. Most of these parts should look familiar to a normal EPYC user of his. Many of the SKUs are essentially built-in class versions of existing EPYC 9004 parts, with additional features and availability guarantees that come with being built-in class products.

Overall, the AMD EPYC Embedded 9004 stack consists of six 2P processors with options ranging from 16C/32T up to 96C/192T for massive 2-socket deployments. This means you can deploy a solution with up to 192 cores and 384 threads on a single system. These 2P systems needing more PCIe 5.0 lanes are up to 16C/32T (EPYC 9124), 24C/48T (EPYC 9254), and 32C/64T (EPYC 9354), 48C/ 96T (EPUC 9454) and 64C/128T (EPYC 9554) can be deployed in a dual socket SP5 solution.

After consuming the AMD EPYC Embedded 9004 series for single socket applications, there are four 1P SKUs available. The entry-level model for the single SP5 socket platform is the EPYC 9354P, featuring 32 x Zen 4 cores with 48 threads, a base frequency of 3.25 GHz, and a 1T turbo up to 3.8 GHz. The EPYC 9354P has 256MB of L3 cache with a base TDP of 280W and a cTDP of 240-300W. A 48C/96T model (EPYC 9454P) and a 64C/128T model (EPYC 9554P) are also available. All 1P SKUs except EPYC 9654P (96C/192T) come with 256 MB of L3 cache.

Based on the Zen 4 microarchitecture built on TSMC’s 5nm N5 process node, each Core Complex Die (CCD) can accommodate up to 8 Zen 4 cores with 1MB of L2 cache per core (8MB per CCD) , with up to 32 MB. L3 cache per CCD. The top SKUs in the lineup are the EPYC 9654 and EPYC 9654P which feature 96 Zen 4 cores with a total of 384 MB of L3 cache available. Both 96C/192T EPYC Embedded 9654 chips have a base TDP of 360W, but can be configured up to 400W. 320 W minimum, requires a large core cluster, but power capping may need to be applied.

AMD EPYC Embedded 9004 Series Features: PCIe 5.0, Memory Support, Security, and Software

The single socket (1P) EPYC 9004 embedded SKU features 128 x PCIe 5.0 lanes, while dual socket (2P) solutions can be configured for up to 160 x PCIe 5.0 lanes. This enables systems that require more storage devices to deploy add-in cards such as accelerators, discrete graphics and networking. AMD uses a TSMC N6 (6 nm) IOD that acts as the chip plexus. This reduces the overall cost of deployment as external chipsets are not a feature requirement. According to AMD, the central IOD provides “enough” I/O connectivity and can be fitted with additional ASICs and controllers for added flexibility.

In terms of memory compatibility, all EPYC Embedded 9004 SKUs are capable of supporting up to DDR5-4800 ECC memory with support for RDIMMs, 3DS RDIMMs, and NVDIMMs specific to the embedded lineup. All chips support 12-channel memory, but offer memory interleaving of 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12-channel capabilities depending on memory density requirements. Each memory channel can support two DIMMs, yielding up to 6 TB yields per socket. AMD states that each socket can support up to 6 TB, so a dual socket SP5 with an EPYC Embedded 9004 system would be capable of 12 TB.

Certain built-in features include Non-Transparent Bridging (NTB), which connects multiple processors over PCIe lanes and devices with high bandwidth and high speed communication. Opaque elements typically used in HPC and other high availability systems allow EPYC Embedded 9004 CPUs to communicate as if they were physically coupled rather than logically coupled. AMD uses the Scalable Data Fabric (SDF) to interconnect CCDs with his IOD and memory interfaces. At the same time, the Scalable Control Fabric (SCF) enables configurable access paths to all blocks on the chip.

AMD’s secure processor technology, including features like secure boot, is built right into the die. Secure Boot supports SME-MK (memory) and SEV-MK (virtualization) technologies, enabling hardware-level memory and virtualization encryption. Additional support for dual SPI allows customers to use their own bootloader to authenticate and validate the system BIOS.

As mentioned, the EPYC Embedded lineup also includes official support for NVDIMMs. Specifically, the AMD EPYC Embedded 9004 supports his NVDIMM-N memory (DRAM DIMM with on-DIMM flash memory backup) to enhance server uptime and health recovery. NVDIMM-N combines the benefits of typical non-volatile memory with integrated NAND flash memory as fail-safe.

DDR5 NVDIMM-N architecture diagram (source SNIA)

One of the main advantages of NVDIMM-Ns over other types of NVDIMMs is faster access times. Since DRAM is the primary memory, NVDIMM-N provides fast access to data. This is important for applications that require fast data access, such as databases and real-time analytics. With non-volatile flash storage available as a backup mechanism, NVDIMM-Ns can ensure data is not lost in the event of a power failure or system crash. NVDIMM-N also has lower latency than traditional non-volatile memory, allowing faster access to data even under full load in critical industries such as cloud storage, networking, telecom, and sectors such as automotive. These are all major target segments for AMD EPYC Embedded 9004 solutions.

Of course, AMD’s 1st Gen CXL support is also available. Full CXL 1.1 support allows embedded EPYC processors to access volatile and non-volatile CXL.mem devices, expanding the number and type of memory options available on the platform.

AMD EPYC Embedded 9004 Series Availability and Deployment

Two of AMD’s major customers and embedded solution integrators include Siemens and Advantech, both of which currently provide solutions to their customers. The latest SIMATIC IPC RS-828A servers from Siemens are among the deployments focused on various workloads such as automotive manufacturing, 5G base stations and public cloud for IoT solutions.

Advantech also has the latest ASMB-831 server board with HPC-7485 4U rackmount for EPYC Embedded 9004 series processor release. The ASMB-831 has 5 PCIe 5.0 x16 slots and 2 PCIe 5.0 x8 slots that can accommodate 4 double-deck cards supporting DDR5-4800 ECC RDIMMs, and has 6 slots with a maximum capacity of 384 GB .

The AMD EPYC Embedded 9004 Series is available for sampling and volume production is expected to begin in April 2023. AMD says evaluation kits containing reference boards, detailed documentation and tool kits are available now, but only to qualified customers. Finally, since these are embedded class products, AMD guarantees planned availability of his EPYC Embedded 9004 processors for up to 7 years.