AMD recently hosted the Advancing AI 2025 conference in San Jose, California, where CEO Dr. Lisa Su announced exciting future plans for the company's data center product lineup. The event highlighted AMD's roadmap, revealing that the EPYC Venice processors, based on the Zen 6 architecture and featuring up to 256 cores, are set to be introduced in 2026. Furthermore, the EPYC Verano processors, utilizing the Zen 7 architecture, along with the Instinct MI500 accelerator series, are anticipated for release in 2027.

The EPYC Venice processor, at the forefront of AMD's sixth-generation EPYC series, boasts the innovative Zen 6 microarchitecture and is expected to be launched in the latter half of 2026. It will be available in two versions: a standard Zen 6 variant and a higher core density Zen 6C variant. The standard model supports up to 96 cores and 192 threads with up to 8 CCDs, while the Zen 6C version increases the core count to 256, accommodating 512 threads within the same 8 CCD design. Compared to the fifth-generation EPYC Turin (Zen 5C version having up to 192 cores, 384 threads, and 12 CCDs), Venice achieves superior core density and thread processing power. This design aligns with AMD's multi-core strategy aimed at applications in cloud computing, high-performance computing, and large-scale data analytics.

Manufactured using TSMC's 2nm process, the Venice processor emphasizes enhanced transistor density and power efficiency over its predecessors, which use 3nm and 4nm processes. AMD announced that Venice will achieve a memory bandwidth of 1.6 TB/s, a significant upgrade from the current 614 GB/s, enabled by support for 16-channel or 12-channel DDR5 memory and emerging MR-DIMM or MCR-DIMM technologies. Additionally, bandwidth between CPU and GPU is expected to double through PCIe 6.0 interfaces, allowing bi-directional data transfer rates of up to 128 GB per second (excluding encoding overhead). With 128 PCIe lanes, data throughput will significantly increase to meet high-bandwidth applications like AI training and inference needs. AMD also forecasted that Venice would deliver about a 70% performance improvement over its precursor due to architectural optimizations, process advancements, and increased core density.

EPYC Venice will adopt the new SP7 and SP8 sockets, with SP7 tailored for high-end servers requiring greater power and functionality, and SP8 aimed at offering a cost-effective solution for entry-level servers. Venice's power consumption is anticipated to exceed the current SP5 socket's 700W peak, potentially nearing or surpassing 1,000 W. In response to this power increase, AMD might implement advanced cooling solutions to maintain system stability.

Launching alongside EPYC Venice is the Instinct MI400 accelerator series, planned for a 2026 release. This series is expected to deliver up to 40 PFLOPs of compute power, a tenfold increase over the existing MI350 series. The MI400 will feature 432 GB of HBM4 memory with a bandwidth of 19.6 TB/s, marking the first GPU accelerator to employ HBM4, significantly outperforming current HBM3 solutions. The high bandwidth and low latency attributes of HBM4 make it particularly compelling for Hyperscale language models and generative AI applications. AMD plans to integrate EPYC Venice, Instinct MI400, and Vulcano FPGAs into Helios data center racks, crafting a cohesive AI and high-performance computing platform to boost system-level performance and scalability.

In 2027, AMD aims to launch the EPYC Verano processor and the Instinct MI500 accelerator series. The EPYC Verano is expected to feature the Zen 7 architecture, promising enhancements in instruction set, cache design, and power-efficiency ratios. Although specifics about the Instinct MI500 series remain undisclosed, AMD has indicated that it will dramatically augment AI inference capabilities, targeting advanced AI rack systems. The MI500, likely leveraging TSMC's forthcoming A16 process (anticipated to reach volume production by the end of 2026), is also slated to feature backside-powered technology to optimize power use and performance.

This roadmap underscores the data center industry's move towards higher core densities, increased computational might, and superior memory bandwidth efficiency. With the burgeoning AI workloads, processors are necessitated to manage larger parallel computing tasks, where high-bandwidth memory and rapid interconnect technologies serve as critical components. The combination of EPYC Venice and the MI400 will cater robustly to cloud computing, scientific endeavors, and AI training by 2026, while Verano and MI500 will continue to push technological limits in 2027.

From a competitive viewpoint, AMD's 256-core EPYC Venice directly competes with Intel's upcoming Xeon processors, including Diamond Rapids and Clearwater Forest, both anticipated to feature high core counts and advanced fabrics. In recent times, AMD's EPYC series has gained an edge in multi-core performance, with EPYC Genoa (Zen 4, 96 cores) already outperforming Intel Xeon Platinum 8380 by up to fourfold. The debut of Venice is set to widen this gap, particularly in the cloud and hyperscale data center arenas. Meanwhile, ARM-based processors like Amazon's Graviton 3 have gained traction for their power efficiency but continue to lag in performance in high-performance computing where x86 architecture prevails. By increasing core count and enhancing bandwidth, AMD solidifies its leadership in the x86 server market.

AMD's Helios platform, integrating processors, accelerators, and network interface cards, like the Vulcano 800 GbE NIC, reflects AMD's vision for comprehensive data center solutions. The Vulcano NIC, adhering to the UEC 1.0 specification, offers up to 800 Gbps of network bandwidth, effectively reducing data bottlenecks and boosting overall system efficiency. This comprehensive stack assures synergy between hardware components, providing customers heightened performance with reduced total cost of ownership.

Technically, the Zen 6 architecture is anticipated to feature cache design innovations, possibly including a larger L3 cache (up to 128 MB per CCD) and a reengineered L2 cache to minimize latency and enhance multi-threaded performance. Additionally, AMD may integrate advanced chip interconnect technologies in Venice, like TSMC's CoWoS-S or InFO_LSI, to support faster inter-chip communication. This aids efficient collaboration within high core-count environments, particularly in multi-chip module (MCM) designs.

AMD's EPYC Venice, Verano, and Instinct MI400 and MI500 series highlight its enduring commitment to data center market leadership. Through cutting-edge processes, amplified core density, and optimized bandwidth, AMD is poised to satisfy current AI and high-performance computing needs while laying a groundwork for future advancements. The Venice and MI400 release in 2026 will mark a significant performance leap, with Verano and MI500 in 2027 further expanding the boundaries of AI and cloud computing. These innovations are set to captivate tech enthusiasts and industry stakeholders alike.