AMD announced four Ryzen Embedded V2000 processors with hexa- and octa-core 7nm Zen 2 cores at up to 2.9GHz/4.25GHz plus 6x or 7x-core Radeon graphics, 10-54W TDPs, and up to 20x PCIe links.

AMD has unveiled four Ryzen Embedded V2000 processors that update the 14nm Zen based Ryzen Embedded V1000 with 7nm fabricated Zen 2 cores. Designed for embedded devices including thin clients, mini-PCs, and edge systems, the Ryzen Embedded V2000 doubles the multi-threaded performance-per-watt and offers up to 30 percent better single-thread CPU performance compared to the V1000, claims AMD. Graphics performance is expected to be 40 percent higher.

The Ryzen Embedded V1000 announcement caps a week of major AMD announcements, including its Ryzen 5000 gaming processor with Zen 3 cores, a powerful new RX 6000 Series of graphics cards, and the intention to acquire Xilinx for $35 billion (see farther below).

Ryzen Embedded V2000 major specs (left) and more detailed comparison
(click images to enlarge)

The Ryzen Embedded V2000 lineup, which competes with the mobile and embedded versions of Intel Core CPUs, includes hexa-core V2516 and octa-core V2718 processors with 10-25W TDPs. (This compares with 12-25W for the lower end, dual-core V1202B and quad-core V1605B.) On the high-end, there is a hexa-core V2546 and the octa-core V2748 with 35-54W TDPs, compared to the quad-core V1756B and V1807B with the same TDP range. As before, the processors are dual-threaded so the octa-core models have 16 threads.

Clock rates have jumped significantly, with the top-of-the-line V2748 offering 2.9GHz base and 4.25GHz boost rates. L2 cache has increased to 3MB or 4MB, up from 1MB or 2MB, and there is an 8MB L3 cache. AMD offered no details on OS support, but you can be certain that Linux and Windows are supported.

As before, advanced Radeon graphics are a highlight. The updated graphics offer 6x or 7x compute units relative to 6x or 8x CPU cores, compared to 3x to 11x graphics cores, depending on the V1000 model. (The spec leak in September had erroneously listed 8x graphics cores, but was otherwise on target.)

The graphics cores are clocked at 1.5GHz or 1.6GHz performance compared to 1.0GHz to 1.3GHz. As before, the V2000 can drive up to 4x independent displays at 4KP60. The V2000 also supports 4K encoding.

AMD has posted benchmark charts showing a favorable comparison between with several processors with fewer cores from Intel’s 14nm Coffee Lake and Comet Lake families. The benchmarks might have been more useful if the cores matched up right or AMD had tested the V2000 against a 10nm 11th Gen Tiger Lake UP3 with equivalent TDPs. On the other hand Intel also posts benchmarks with questionable matchups, and perhaps AMD is comparing by projected prices, in which case they might make more sense.

AMD Benchmarks showing Ryzen V2000 vs. V1000 (left) and against Intel Coffee Lake and Comet Lake models
(click images to enlarge)

The benchmarks show the octa-core Ryzen Embedded V2748 beating a hexa-core, 2.6GHz/4.5GHz Core i7-9750H, an 8th Gen Coffee Lake chip with a 35W-45W TDP. Another comparison shows an even greater advantage on two of the Cinebench tests for the lower-end octa-core V2718 over two 10th Gen Comet Lake chips, led by a hexa-core, 1.1GHz/4.7GHz Core i7-10710U with a 12.5W to 24W TDP.

The V2000 maintains the 10-year availability and advanced security features of the V1000 and slightly scaled-back, dual-core Ryzen Embedded R1000. Security features include AMD Memory Guard, a suite of security features including secure boot and secure memory encryption.

Ryzen Embedded V2000 render (left) and Ryzen family comparison
(click images to enlarge)

The big news on the I/O front is an advance to 20x PCIe Gen3 lanes, up from 16x on the V1000. Other supported peripherals include HDMI 2.1, DP 1.4, and USB 3.1 Gen2. All four models support up to 3200MHz DDR4, including ECC RAM, compared to only the two higher-end models on the V1000. The V2000 has a 0 to 105°C operating range.

Initial launch partners include Advantech (Mini-ITX and COM Express), ASRock Industrial (mini-PCs), and Sapphire (4×4 and 5×5 boards and an updated Simply NUC mini-PC. Ibase will also offer some V2000 products. For the V1000, Ibase launched a Mini-ITX board, a signage system, and the first small-scale V1000-based SBC with its 3.5-inch IB918.

 
Xilinx acquisition, Ryzen 5000, and Radeon RX 6000

Last week, AMD announced that it plans to acquire FPGA chipmaker Xilinx for $35 billion in stock — over twice what Intel paid for former Xilinx rival Altera. There has been some speculation that AMD is particularly interested in the Xilinx’s highly programmable new Versal processors.

The Zen 2 cores found on the Ryzen Embedded V1000 are also found on AMD’s desktop-class Ryzen 4000 processor, which made a splash earlier this year. Last week AMD announced its Ryzen 5000 processor with a 7nm Zen 3 core. The high-end, gaming-oriented Ryzen 9 5950X provides 16 cores and can achieve burst speeds of up to 4.9GHz.

All but one of the Ryzen 5000 models have 105W TDPs. The exception is the hexa-core Ryzen 5 5600X which weighs in at a hefty 65W. With the Ryzen Embedded family continuing to improve, it is doubtful many embedded vendors will adopt the Ryzen 5000, but if they do, we will take a closer look.

Finally, AMD announced an impressive lineup of up to 300W Radeon RX 6000 Series graphics cards featuring MD RDNA 2 gaming architecture. These gaming-focused cards offer PCIe 4.0 support and up to 16GB of GDDR6 running at running at 16Gbps/pin.

 
Further information

No pricing or availability information was provided for the Ryzen Embedded V2000 processors. More information may be found in AMD’s announcement and product page.