Rumor: AMD Strix Point gets hybrid architecture with Zen 5 and Zen 5c cores

Details have emerged about an upcoming generation of AMD Strix Point APUs. These laptop chips will reportedly have a hybrid architecture with Zen 5 and Zen 5c cores. AMD would also introduce a Strix Halo laptop series with up to sixteen Zen 5 cores.

AMD is launching a Strix Point variant with a total of 12 cores and 24 threads, reports leaker Olrak29. The Strix Point APU in question would have a configuration with four Zen 5 cores and eight Zen 5c cores. Er Benchmarks have already appeared before of a Strix Point APU with a total of 12 cores and 24 threads, although the exact configuration was not known at the time. According to Olrak29, AMD will also launch a series of Strix Halo laptop processors. These will have a maximum of sixteen Zen 5 cores, divided over two chiplets of eight cores each.

There has been speculation for some time that AMD wants to use hybrid architectures for its CPUs. The CTO of AMD previously confirmed to Tom’s Hardware that the company wants to release processors with two types of cores, although no concrete details were shared. There are also rumors about the arrival of Phoenix 2 APUs, which combine Zen 4 cores with Zen 4c cores. These c-suffixed cores are physically smaller, have lower clock speeds, and consume less power.

AMD previously shared the first details about its Strix Point chips. According to the chipmaker, the chips are based on the Zen 5 architecture. They also get an integrated ‘RDNA 3.5’ GPU and an improved Ryzen AI engine. According to the manufacturer, they are produced on an ‘advanced node’, probably TSMC 3nm. The first Strix Point chips are planned for 2024, but a concrete release date has not yet been announced.