AMD First to Show 2nm Chips EPYC 'Venice' CPU and Instinct MI455X GPU
AMD has introduced its inaugural 2nm chips, namely the newly minted EPYC "Venice" CPU with the Zen 6 architecture, as well as the Instinct MI455X AI accelerator. These will all form part of the next-generation liquid-cooled Helios AI Rack that is slated for shipment to customers in 2026 half the year.
Helios AI Rack and Its 2nm Pieces
Helios is a high-performance computing system designed for delivering AI workloads. Each liquid-cooled system adopts an EPYC Venice CPU and four Instinct MI455X GPUs, utilizing AMDs Pensando Salina DPU and Vulcano AI NIC as networking.
AMD EPYC "Venice" (Zen 6) CPU
The new EPYC processor implements Zen 6 architecture at 2nm.
- Architecture: Offers up to a whopping 256 Zen 6C cores. For standard Zen 6 versions expect up to a maximum of 192 cores.
- Performance Targets: AMD is aspiring for in excess of 70% performance and efficiency gains, topping off with over 30% improvements in thread density.
AMD Instinct MI455X GPU
AMD's next-generation AI accelerator, the Instinct MI455X, will also be built on the 2nm process.
- Memory: As much as 432 GB of HBM4 memory provides chips with a 19.6 TB/s bandwidth.
- Performance: Up to 40 PFLOPs of FP4 and 20 PFLOPs FP8 compute performance undercuts.
- Competitive Positioning: The MI400 series of AMD will be able to provide 1.5 times the scale-out bandwidth and 1.5 times the memory capacity of its rivals.
Future Roadmap Instinct MI500 in 2027
AMD also, in terms of its annual update cadence, explained what would succeed MI400 in the form of Instinct MI500, set to arrive in 2027.
- Process Node: To be built on TSMC's advanced 2nm process.
- Architecture: Will be utilizing the new CDNA 6 architecture.
- Memory: Expected to embrace HBM4E memory for even greater speeds and bandwidth.
Developers The Ryzen AI Halo Mini PC
AMD also launched a new device for developers targeted with Ryzen AI Halo Mini PC, which is a small and easy-to-use infrastructure contrived to go head-on with solutions, such as NVIDIA's DGX Spark.
- Processor: Powered by AMDs Ryzen AI MAX ("Strix Halo") SoCs with up to 16 Zen 5 CPU cores and RDNA 3.5 graphics.
- Memory: UP TO 128 GB LPDDR5X-8533.
- Software Support: Full support for AMDs ROCm software suite; optimized for developer applications and AI models.
- Availability: It should retail launch in Q2 2026.
