AMD's next-generation Medusa "Ryzen Client" CPUs will reportedly be featuring brand new Zen 6 processor and RDNA 5 integrated GPU cores.
Zen 6 CPU & RDNA 5 GPU Fusion Expected For AMD's Next-Gen Medusa "Ryzen Client" CPUs
The information comes from @Olrak_29 who has said that Medusa, the codename for AMD's next-gen client Ryzen CPUs, will be featuring two brand-new core architectures. The CPU side will feature the next-gen Zen 6 core architecture while the graphics side will feature the RDNA 5 integrated GPU architecture. The new revelations come ahead of the expected mass production of AMD's Zen 5 "Nirvana" and Zen 5C "Prometheus" CPUs which are expected to launch later this year.
Memes aside, Medusa has RDNA 5 iGPU, skipping RDNA 4 https://t.co/NBgY6tUenR
— Everest (@Olrak29_) February 19, 2024
Little is known about AMD's next-gen Zen 6 and RDNA 5 GPU architecture since we have yet to see the launch of the Zen 5 and RDNA 4 GPUs but according to recent information, it looks like Zen 6 is going to be a bigger architectural upgrade than Zen 5. In addition to that, the CPU itself will come in a new package layout boosted by a 2.5D interconnect that will enable much higher bandwidth that will help eliminate some CCD/IOD interconnection and latency bottlenecks which are common in the current lineup.
From previous reports, we know that Zen 6 core is codenamed Morpheus and is likely going to leverage 2nm process technology. Meanwhile, RDNA 5 is going to be the return of the red team in the enthusiast market with RDNA 4 mainly focusing on the mainstream and high-end gaming segment.
Previous reports have suggested that RDNA 4 won't be making its way to the top enthusiast segments which is currently dominated by the likes of the Radeon RX 7900 series. The RDNA 4 SKU lineup was rumored to have dropped down various high-end die configurations with the current focus being on toned-down chip designs. Following are the expected features of AMD's Ryzen client "Medusa" family:
- Zen 6 CPU Architecture (Expected 2nm)
- Utilizing Morpheus CPU Cores
- RDNA 5 GPU Architecture (Integrated)
- 2.5D Chip Interconnect (For CCD/IOD)
- Launch timeframe around late 2025 / early 2026
The AMD Medusa "Ryzen Client" CPUs are still years away from launch. We can expect them to be unveiled sometime around late 2025 or mid-2026 and it will be interesting to see if AMD sticks to its AM5 platform for the desktop segment by then. The company has committed to a 2025+ plan for AM5 and Medusa might as well be the last Ryzen client CPU release for the platform but they can extend or decrease the lifespan depending on the need to move to better I/O capabilities.
AMD Zen CPU / APU Roadmap:
| Zen Architecture | Zen 7 | Zen 6C | Zen 6 | Zen 5 (C) | Zen 4 (C) | Zen 3+ | Zen 3 | Zen 2 | Zen+ | Zen 1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Core Codename | TBA | Monarch | Morpheus | Nirvana (Zen 5) Prometheus (Zen 5C) | Persphone (Zen 4) Dionysus (Zen 4C) | Warhol | Cerebrus | Valhalla | Zen+ | Zen |
| CCD Codename | TBA | TBA | TBA | Eldora | Durango | TBC | Brekenridge | Aspen Highlands | N/A | N/A |
| Process Node | TBA | 3nm/2nm? | 2nm/3nm | 3nm | 4nm | 6nm | 7nm | 7nm | 12nm | 14nm |
| Server | TBA | EPYC Venice (6th Gen) | EPYC Venice (6th Gen) | EPYC Turin (5th Gen) | EPYC Genoa (4th Gen) EPYC Siena (4th Gen) EPYC Bergamo (4th Gen) | N/A | EPYC Milan (3rd Gen) | EPYC Rome (2nd Gen) | N/A | EPYC Naples (1st Gen) |
| High-End Desktop | TBA | TBA | TBA | Ryzen Threadripper 9000 (Shamida Peak) | Ryzen Threadripper 7000 (Storm Peak) | N/A | Ryzen Threadripper 5000 (Chagal) | Ryzen Threadripper 3000 (Castle Peak) | Ryzen Threadripper 2000 (Coflax) | Ryzen Threadripper 1000 (White Haven) |
| Mainstream Desktop CPUs | TBA | TBA | Ryzen **** (Olympic Ridge) | Ryzen 9000 (Granite Ridge) | Ryzen 7000 (Raphael) | Ryzen 6000 (Warhol / Cancelled) | Ryzen 5000 (Vermeer) | Ryzen 3000 (Matisse) | Ryzen 2000 (Pinnacle Ridge) | Ryzen 1000 (Summit Ridge) |
| Enthusiast Mobile CPUs | TBA | TBA | Ryzen **** (Gator Range) | Ryzen 9000HX (Fire Range) | Ryzen 7000HX (Dragon Range) | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Mainstream Desktop . Notebook APU | Ryzen AI 500 (Sound Wave)? | Ryzen AI 500 (TBA) | Ryzen AI 400 (Medusa Point / BB) | Ryzen AI 300 (Strix Point) Ryzen *** (Krackan Point) | Ryzen 7000 (Phoenix) | Ryzen 6000 (Rembrandt) | Ryzen 5000 (Cezanne) Ryzen 6000 (Barcelo) | Ryzen 4000 (Renoir) Ryzen 5000 (Lucienne) | Ryzen 3000 (Picasso) | Ryzen 2000 (Raven Ridge) |
| Low-Power Mobile | TBA | TBA | TBA | Ryzen *** (Escher) | Ryzen 7000 (Mendocino) | TBA | TBA | Ryzen 5000 (Van Gogh) Ryzen 6000 (Dragon Crest) | N/A | N/A |
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.
Follow Wccftech on Google to get more of our news coverage in your feeds.
