AMD is working on its own hybrid BIG.little project which is expected to launch as the Phoenix 2 APU lineup for low-power platforms. One such configuration seems to have been spotted within the MilkyWay@Home database.
AMD BIG.little Phoenix 2 APU With Hybrid 2+4 Core Configuration Spotted
The latest SKU was spotted by @InstLatX64 within the MilkyWay@Home database. Although the APU has no name or SKU branding mentioned, it is stated that the "A70F80" CPUID belongs to a range of upcoming APUs that will be part of the Phoenix 2 family. The particular SKU features 12 threads and InstLatX64 states that this is a hybrid configuration comprising 2+4 cores. The CPU is equipped with 1 MB of cache and was tested with 16 GB of memory.
As for what AMD's Phoenix 2 project is, the upcoming hybrid design is said to feature 2 standard Zen 4 cores and at least 4 clock/power-optimized Zen 4 cores. The Zen 4 cores are essentially the same architecture but the way power is managed across them is very different. It is not like Intel's hybrid approach where the P-Core and E-Cores utilize vastly different architectures.
But that's not all, since the Phoenix 2 APUs are aimed at low-power and entry-level platforms, they are also said to feature reduced GPU compute units. So while the standard Phoenix chips feature an 8-12 CU configuration, the Phoenix 2 APUs might feature half of that with 4-8 Compute Units. It might seem like a downgrade over the Van Gogh SOC but we should remember that these are 4nm CUs that utilize the RDNA 3 graphics architecture and also run at faster frequencies.
AMD Phoenix APU Specs:
| SOC Name | Van Gogh SOC | Phoenix 1 | Phoenix 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Process Node | 7nm | 4nm | 4nm |
| Die Size | 163mm2 | 178mm2 | 137mm2 |
| Transistors | 2.4 Billion | 20.9 Billion | 25.0 Billion |
| CPU Architecture | Zen 2 | Zen 4 | Zen 4 + Zen 4C |
| Cores / Threads | 4 / 8 | 8 / 16 | 6 / 12 |
| CPU Clock (Max) | 3.5 GHz | 5.1 GHz | 4.7 GHz |
| GPU Architecture | RDNA 2 | RDNA 3 | RDNA 3 |
| GPU Compute Units | 8 CUs (512 SPs) | 12 (768) | 4 CUs (!256 SPs) |
| GPU Clocks | 1.6 GHz | 2800 MHz | 2500 MHz |
| Memory | LPDDR5-5500 | DDR5-5600 LPDDR5x-7500 | LPDDR5-6400 LPDDR5X-7500 |
| TDP | 4-15W | 15-30W | 15-30W |
| Products | Steam Deck | Laptops / Handhelds | Handhelds |
| Launch | 2022 | 2024 | 2024 |
The next Valve Steam Deck is a prime candidate which would utilize AMD's Phoenix 2 APUs among a list of other handheld and portable devices. It will definitely be interesting to see the efficiency numbers that the Phoenix 2 APUs produce. The first AMD Phoenix APUs will make their debut on laptops in March 2023 so we can expect an update later in 2023 on the Phoenix 2 parts.
About the author: A Software Engineer by training and a PC enthusiast by passion, Hassan Mujtaba serves as Wccftech's Senior Editor for hardware section. With years of experience in the industry, he specializes in deep-dive technical analysis of next-generation CPU and GPU architectures, motherboards, and cooling solutions. His work involves not only breaking news on upcoming technologies but also extensive hands-on reviews and benchmarking.
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