Zen (microarchitecture)


Zen is the codename for a family of computer processor microarchitectures from AMD, first launched in February 2017 with the first generation of its Ryzen CPUs.

History

First generation

The first generation Zen was launched with the Ryzen 1000 series of CPUs in February 2017. The first Zen-based preview system was demonstrated at E3 2016, and first substantially detailed at an event hosted a block away from the Intel Developer Forum 2016. The first Zen-based CPUs reached the market in early March 2017, and Zen-derived Epyc server processors launched in June 2017 and Zen-based APUs arrived in November 2017.

Second generation

Zen+ was first released in April 2018, powering the second generation of Ryzen processors, known as Ryzen 2000 for mainstream desktop systems, and Threadripper 2000 for high-end desktop setups.

Third generation

The Ryzen 3000 series CPUs were released on July 7, 2019, while the Zen 2-based Epyc server CPUs were released on August 7, 2019. Zen 2 also powered a line of desktop APUs marketed as Ryzen 4000.

Fourth generation

Zen 3 is expected for release in 2020, using an improved 7nm manufacturing process. It will power desktop Ryzen 4000 CPUs, utilizing the Vermeer microarchitecture, and Epyc processors using the Milan microarchitecture.