AMD recently revealed its plans to introduce ZEN 4c cores into laptop processors, promising a significant boost in efficiency and performance. While originally designed for servers, this technology is now poised to make its way into consumer laptops, ushering in a new era of computing power and versatility.

ZEN 4c cores represent an optimization strategy designed to enhance power efficiency, performance per watt, and chip density, while still retaining the fundamental features of AMD’s existing ZEN 4 cores. This approach allows AMD to reduce the area required for the cores by approximately 35% while maintaining core specifications, including the micro-op cache, L1 cache per core, latencies, and instruction sets.

“This is a new spin on our existing ZEN 4 cores and it simply has a different optimization goal. And that is to optimize power efficiency and performance per watt to optimize density or the size of the chip and to once again optimize performance. Just to be clear, this isn’t a whole new approach from AMD. This is very much the exact same approach we’ve taken with ZEN 4, just optimize slightly differently,” according to Donnie Woe Rosy, Senior Marketing Manager for Client Processors at AMD during a recent press briefing.

Rosy emphasized that ZEN 4c is not a departure from AMD’s existing technology but rather a focused optimization for efficiency and size. This technology is transparent to the operating system and seamlessly integrates into AMD’s existing product stack.

The decision to integrate ZEN 4c cores into laptop processors is driven by several key factors, including enhanced efficiency. By offering smaller cores with similar instructions per cycle (IPC) as ZEN 4, the microchip company can provide more performance while using less power, particularly in low-wattage scenarios. This translates to a noticeable performance improvement in laptops with a TDP (Thermal Design Power) below 15 watts.

Scalability is another compelling aspect of ZEN 4c cores. While AMD has not yet announced any specific plans, the technology provides the potential to increase core counts in premium laptops, leading to improved multi-threaded performance. The ZEN 4c technology opens doors for creating new products for the entry-level segment, expanding AMD’s product offerings to meet diverse consumer needs.

The integration of ZEN 4c cores into AMD’s laptop processors will involve updates to their existing product stack. For example, the Ryzen 5 7540U will be replaced by the Ryzen 5 7545U, offering identical performance characteristics but with ZEN 4c technology. The Ryzen 5 7540U and Ryzen 3 7540U will also feature ZEN 4c technology, positioning them as mainstream and entry-level solutions.

The user experience with ZEN 4c technology is expected to be seamless, with real-world users unlikely to notice performance differences. The technology’s focus on efficiency and size optimization makes it particularly suitable for laptops with TDPs within a specific range.

AMD’s utilization of preferred cores in ZEN 4c technology allows them to prioritize higher-performing ZEN 4 cores for bursty workloads while optimizing efficiency and density. This strategy strikes a balance between performance and power consumption.

Rosy highlighted that this is just one of many technologies AMD is exploring to enhance its product portfolio, ensuring that it aligns with consumer needs. The introduction of ZEN 4c cores in laptop processors offers exciting prospects for the future, including potential expansions into the premium segment.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Robert “Bob” Reyes is a technologist, an ICT Consultant and Tech Speaker, a certified Google IT Support Specialist, and an Open Source advocate representing the global non-profit Mozilla (makers of Firefox) in the Philippines. Bob is a Technology Columnist for the Manila Bulletin Publishing Corporation and an aviation subject matter expert contributor for Spot.PH.

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