The first AMD Phoenix 2 APUs which will be part of the Ryzen 7040 series feature a die size nearly 23% smaller than the standard Phoenix chips.
AMD's Phoenix 2 "Ryzen 7040" APUs to Utilize "Hybrid" Strategy & Smaller Die Area, Zen4 Architecture Will Be Tuned In a Different Way
Update: Golden Pig Upgrade has shared pictures of the AMD Phoenix 2 APU sitting next to the standard Phoenix APU which show a smaller die size on the same package for the PHX2 chips.
Rumors about a potential AMD Phoenix 2 APU were circulating a while back, and it looks like we finally have a glimpse of what the SoC will look like. Credits to Twitter users @xinoassasin and @BusAlexey; the AMD Phoenix 2 APUs will allegedly come in a dual-sourced core configuration featuring both Zen4 and Zen 4C cores.
According to the source, the Zen 4C core is a strip-down version of Zen 4, which is downclocked, making it possible for the APU to bin down from 8 high-clock cores to 2 high-clock and 4 low-clock cores. This is most probably AMD's version of the "hybrid" strategy that was previously revealed.
Phoenix2 top die is 7540U (2 high+4 low), but 7540U is dual sourced: some chips will be full Phoenix2 dies (2+4), some will be cut down Phoenix1 dies (since Zen4c is just a downclocked Zen4, it's easy to bin it down from 8 high-clock cores to 2 high-clock + 4 low-clock cores)
— Бусыгин Алексей (@BusAlexey) June 29, 2023
You might have heard of a similar strategy that Intel adopted with their 12th Gen Alder Lake & the 13th Gen Raptor Lake CPU. However, the main difference between AMD and Intel's ways is the approach to the core design. Intel utilized two core designs, Golden/Raptor Cove + Gracemont, whereas AMD will use the same Zen 4 architecture but with different configurations. Zen 4 and Zen 4C cores are mostly the same design but the latter is optimized for density and features a lower cache. It is likely that future variants can adopt higher core counts as seen on the Bergamo EPYC chips.
AMD's Phoenix 2 APUs are targeted at entry-level platforms and feature RDNA 3 Compute Units. So while the standard Phoenix chips feature an 8-12 CU configuration, the Phoenix 2 APUs feature half of that with 4 Compute Units on the Radeon 740M iGPU. Moreover, it is revealed that the die size is 137mm2 which is 23% smaller than the 178mm2 of the standard Phoenix SKUs.
Their dual-source may allow AMD to offer the Ryzen 3 7440U in the same die package as the standard Phoenix chips under a different OPN but that isn't confirmed yet. Furthermore, the Phoenix 2 chips aren't actually compatible with the FP8 socket since no support is listed for that.
It is expected that the AMD Phoenix 2 APUs will launch somewhere between Q4 2023. The APUs will probably be used in power-efficient PC gaming handhelds or laptops.
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 |
News Source: Videocardz
About the author: Muhammad Zuhair is a hardware and technology reporter for Wccftech, specializing in the semiconductor industry and the complex interplay between technology, manufacturing, and geopolitics. His coverage focuses on the corporate strategies and technological roadmaps of industry giants like TSMC, NVIDIA, Samsung, and Intel. Zuhair's expertise lies in deconstructing complex topics such as fabrication nodes (e.g., 2nm process), the economic impact of policies like the CHIPS Act, and the strategic development of AI infrastructure from NVIDIA, AMD and Intel.
Follow Wccftech on Google to get more of our news coverage in your feeds.
