GamingGPUs

AMD Working on 6nm Refresh of the PS5 SoC to Improve Supply

AMD may have canceled its 6nm Warhol processors (Zen 3 refresh), but that doesn’t mean it’ll be skipping the 6nm node entirely. Other than the Cezanne refresh, the chipmaker is also working on a redesign of the PS5 SoC on TSMC’s enhanced 7nm class node. Although N6 uses the same design rules as N7, it leverages EUV lithography with up to five layers, allowing for faster production, better yields, and up to 18% higher density. Furthermore, it’s a more mature node, resulting in higher sustained boost clocks (important since the PS5 has a dynamic boost clock) as well as better boost clock residency.

The primary reason for this redesign is to improve supply for the next-gen console. At the moment, AMD’s entire portfolio from the Ryzen CPUs to Radeon GPUs to the mobile Ryzen APUs all leverage the same N7 node, making it almost impossible to increase production for one particular product without affecting the rest.

The shift to a different node, even if it’s just an enhancement should allow for some nice increase in production capacity for the PlayStation 5 SoC. Furthermore, the new node on account of higher yields will make the product cheaper, allowing Sony to cut the price of the console in a couple of years without taking much of a hit in terms of profits.

Source

Areej Syed

Processors, PC gaming, and the past. I have been writing about computer hardware for over seven years with more than 5000 published articles. Started off during engineering college and haven't stopped since. Mass Effect, Dragon Age, Divinity, Torment, Baldur's Gate and so much more... Contact: areejs12@hardwaretimes.com.
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