Zhaoxin Shows Off 96-Core KH-5000 Chiplet Server CPUs
China's top server CPU maker, Zhaoxin, just showed the world its new KH-5000 series. They did this at the Shanghai World Expo 2025. These chiplet-based CPUs aim to kick up performance big time for China's servers, with up to 96 cores and better I/O than the older KH-4000 series.
KH-5000 Series Main Specs and Build
The KH-5000 CPUs are a big jump from the old 32-core KH-4000 series. These new chips use a chiplet build on a LGA socketed base and aim for more cores and better I/O.
- Core Count: Up to 96 cores with around a 30% IPC (Instructions Per Clock) boost from the last series.
- Clock Speeds: The best model will start at 2.0 GHz and can go up to 3.0 GHz.
- Cache: Up to 384 MB of cache.
- Interconnect: Has the new ZPI 5.0 interconnect, letting dual and quad-socket setups have up to 384 cores on one board. This new link also makes data move faster and cuts down on wait times and power use.
Key Changes KH-5000 vs. KH-4000
The changes are big all around:
- Cores: 96 vs. 32
- Top Clock Speed: 3.0 GHz vs. 2.5 GHz
- Cache: 384 MB vs. 64 MB
- Memory: 12-Channel DDR5 vs. 8-Channel DDR4
- PCIe: 128 PCIe 5.0 Lanes vs. 128 PCIe 4.0 Lanes
- Interconnect: ZPI 5.0 vs. ZPI 3.0
I/O Features and Physical Build
Zhaoxin boosted the I/O a lot, adding support for 12-channel DDR5 ECC memory, 128 PCIe 5.0 lanes (fits with ZPI/CXL), and another 16 lanes for PCIe 4.0, SATA, or USB. People say the KH-5000's body looks like AMD's EPYC "Bergamo" server CPUs.
What's Next for Zhaoxin?
Though there's no set sale date for the KH-5000 yet, they also showed a peek at their next consumer CPU. Zhaoxin revealed the KX-7000N, an updated consumer chip with a special NPU for quicker AI work. Plus, they're planning a new "KX" consumer CPU for "AI PC" tech, with more cores, PCIe 5.0, and a fresh high-performing NPU build.
