Workload-optimized 97X4 and 9004 EPYC processors showcased by AMD

AMD has unveiled two new workload-optimized processors for its 4th Gen EPYC CPU portfolio – the AMD EPYC 97X4 and the EPYC 9004. 

The new series aims to deliver the thread density and scale needed for industry-leading cloud-native computing by leveraging the new Zen 4c core architecture.

“In an era of workload-optimized compute, our new CPUs is (sic)  pushing the boundaries of what is possible in the data center, delivering new levels of performance, efficiency, and scalability,” said Forrest Norrod, executive vice president and general manager of the data center solutions business group at AMD. 

“We closely align our product roadmap to our customers’ unique environments and each offering in the 4th Gen AMD EPYC family of processors is tailored to deliver compelling and leadership performance in general purpose, cloud-native or technical computing workloads,” Norrod added.

Cloud-native computing 

The AMD EPYC 97X4 processors have up to 128 cores and, according to AMD, deliver up to 3.7x throughput performance for cloud-native workloads, compared to Ampere. Cloud-native allows applications to be optimized for cloud architecture out of the gate, allowing them to be deployed and updated rapidly and is fast becoming the de facto application development strategy for businesses.

AMD stated that its 4th Gen EPYC processors offer greater energy efficiency and support for up to three times more containers per server to help scale cloud-native applications. With its extensive x86 software compatibility, high core count, and state-of-the-art security, the 97x4 chip offers the highest thread density around and a full ecosystem of services to support rapid and seamless deployment. 

Major organizations like Meta are already making use of these types of processors; Alexis Björlin, Meta’s VP of infrastructure, joined AMD’s chair and CEO Lisa Su on stage for the launch of the new CPUs and noted that the 4th Gen EPYC 97X4 processors had significantly increased performance across platforms like Instagram and WhatsApp.

“Meta and AMD have been collaborating on EPYC designs since 2019,” Alexis Bjorlin, Meta’s VP of infrastructure said on stage at the AMD Data Center & AI Technology Premiere. “We’ve worked closely to customize AMD’s EPYC architecture to meet Meta’s power efficiency and compute density requirements.” 

In addition to the 97X4, AMD also announced the 4th Gen AMD EPYC processors with AMD 3D V-Cache technology, which the company  said are ideally suited for highly demanding technical computing workloads.

AMD 3D V-Cache technology extends the AMD EPYC 9004 series, enabling it to deliver the ‘world’s best x86 CPU for technical computing workloads’, according to AMD. These include computational fluid dynamics, electronic design automation, and structural analysis. 

The 4th Gen with AMD 3D V-Cache has up to 96 Zen 4 cores and 1GB+ of L3 cache. This offers significant speeds for product development – it can even double the design jobs per day in Ansys CFX, according to AMD.

These latest instances deliver performance gains of up to 5 times that of previous generation HBv3 (Azure virtual machines), making them perfectly optimized for the most demanding HPC applications. Microsoft has announced the general availability of Azure HBv4 and HX instances powered by 4th Gen AMD EPYC processors with AMD 3D V-Cache.