AMD's next-gen Ryzen Desktop CPUs, codenamed Olympic Ridge, based on Zen 6 core architecture, will get an integrated NPU but remove the iGPU.
AMD's Next-Gen Ryzen Desktop CPUs Based on the Zen 6 Core Will Reportedly Remove iGPU But Feature an NPU Instead
The next-generation AMD Ryzen Desktop CPU lineup is planned for 2027 and will feature some major upgrades. Some of these upgrades include the latest Zen 6 core architecture and the utilization of the TSMC 2nm "N2P" process technology. We expected to see major uplifts in IPC, Efficiency, and Overall Performance.
In addition to that, the Olympic Ridge family will feature a brand new CCD with up to 12 cores and 48 MB of L3 cache. With this, AMD will be offering a range of configurations starting at 6 and going all the way up to 24 cores with SMT support. Like every generation since Zen 3, the Ryzen lineup will get 3D V-Cache flavors, and we expect to see some updates on that front.
So in total, we are looking at:
- Zen 6 (Single-CCD) - 6 Core
- Zen 6 (Single-CCD) - 8 Core
- Zen 6 (Single CCD) - 10 Core
- Zen 6 (Single CCD) - 12 Core
- Zen 6 (Dual CCD) - 16 Core (8+8)
- Zen 6 (Dual CCD) - 20 Core (10+10)
- Zen 6 (Dual CCD) - 24 Core (12+12)
Besides these, the platforms will also see some upgrades, such as more IO capabilities, Wi-Fi 7 support, and optimized support for faster DDR5 memory modules. As per the latest details, the upcoming AM5 boards will see support for the full EXPO 1.2 feature stack, which includes DDR5 CUDIMM support along with even better ULL profile kits.
The IO die on the AMD Ryzen "Zen 6" CPUs will also see some major changes. It is said that AMD will be integrating an NPU within the IO die, which means these will be the first standard AMD chips with an NPU. AMD does offer an NPU on its AM5 desktop APUs, but these will be the first Non-APU designs with such support.
At the same time, AMD is said to remove the onboard iGPU. Starting with AM5, AMD featured a 2 CUs Radeon 710M iGPU on its desktop processors. This was mostly used for business and offices, but could also be used for diagnostic purposes. With the removal of this iGPU, those who want to diagnose video-related issues, such as black screens or no displays when booting up, will have to rely on a secondary dGPU (discrete GPU) if their primary one isn't working as intended.
This won't be a major deal for desktop users, but it will surely limit the diagnostic capabilities of the previous generation. Intel does offer its desktop processors with iGPU-enabled and disabled variants. AMD will retain iGPU capabilities across its APU lineup. Despite all of that, AMD's Olympic Ridge line of Ryzen processors will be a disruptive desktop lineup, aiming for enthusiasts and mainstream users in 2027, right in time to tackle Intel's Nova Lake-S Desktop processors.
AMD Olympic Ridge vs Intel Nova Lake-S:
| CPUs | Intel Core Ultra 400 | AMD Ryzen 10000? |
|---|---|---|
| Family | Nova Lake-S | Olympic Ridge |
| Architecture | Coyote Cove (P-Core) Arctic Wolf (E/LP Core) | Zen 6 |
| CPU Process | TSMC N2P | TSMC N2P |
| Core Count (Max) | 52 | 24 |
| Thread Count (Max) | 52 | 48 |
| Max P-Cores | 16 | 24 |
| Max E-Cores | 32 | N/A |
| Max LP-E Cores | 4 | N/A |
| Max Cache (L2+L3) | 160-320 MB | 96 MB L3 |
| Max bLLC Cache | 144-288 MB | 64 MB per stack? |
| DDR5 (1DPC 1R) | 8000 MT/s CUDIMM - Yes | 7200 MT/s? CUDIMM - Yes |
| PCIe 5.0 Lanes (Max) | 36 | TBD |
| PCIe 4.0 Lanes (Max) | 16 | TBD |
| Socket Support | LGA 1954 | AM5 |
| Max TDP (PL1) | 125-175W | 125W+ |
| Max Power | ~700W (Dual) ~350W (Single) | TBD |
| Launch | 2027 | 2027 |
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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