AMD Previews Naples High-Performance Server Processor

By Nathan Kirsch

AMD Previews Naples High-Performance Server Processor, Prepares to Return Innovation and Choice to the Datacenter in Q2 2017

  • AMD Targets Needs of Modern Datacenter and Cloud Applications with More Cores, More Memory Capacity and More I/O than the Competition

SANTA CLARA, Calif. March 7, 2017 AMD (NASDAQ: AMD) today took a significant step into the server and datacenter market with its most detailed look yet at the upcoming high-performance CPU for servers, codenamed Naples. Purpose-built to disrupt the status-quo and to scale across the cloud datacenter and traditional on-premise server configurations, Naples delivers the highly regarded Zen x86 processing engine in industry-leading configurations of up to 32 cores. Superior memory bandwidth and the number of high-speed input / output channels in a single-chip further differentiate Naples from anything else in the server market today. The first processors are scheduled to be available in Q2 2017, with volume availability building in the second half of the year through OEM and channel partners.

Today marks the first major milestone in AMD re-asserting its position as an innovator in the datacenter and returning choice to customers in high-performance server CPUs, said Forrest Norrod, senior vice president and general manager, Enterprise, Embedded and Semi-Custom business unit, AMD. Naples represents a completely new approach to supporting the massive processing requirements of the modern datacenter. This groundbreaking system-on-chip delivers the unique high-performance features required to address highly virtualized environments, massive data sets and new, emerging workloads.

The new AMD server processor exceeds todays top competitive offering on critical parameters, with 45% more cores1, 60% more input / output capacity (I/O)2, and 122% more memory bandwidth3.

It is exciting to see AMD back in the server conversation with a new CPU and a sound strategy for why it is the right processor for the modern datacenter and the cloud computing era, said Matt Eastwood, senior vice president, Enterprise Infrastructure and Datacenter, IDC. Looking at the product details announced today, it sounds like a compelling combination that will give IT buyers a unique new option to consider when making their next upgrade.

Naples features:

  • A highly scalable, 32-core System on Chip (SoC) design, with support for two high-performance threads per core
  • Industry-leading memory bandwidth, with 8-channels of memory per Naples device. In a 2-socket server, support for up to 32 DIMMS of DDR4 on 16 memory channels, delivering up to 4 terabytes of total memory capacity.
  • The processor is a complete SoC with fully integrated, high-speed I/O supporting 128 lanes of PCIe 34, negating the need for a separate chip-set
  • A highly-optimized cache structure for high-performance, energy efficient compute
  • AMD Infinity Fabric coherent interconnect for two Naples CPUs in a 2-socket system
  • Dedicated security hardware

AMD will deliver two presentations on its datacenter strategy and upcoming products this week during the Open Compute Summit. Scott Aylor, vice president of enterprise solutions will talk in the main hall on Wed., March 8th at 4:55 PM PST, while Dan Bounds, senior director of enterprise products, will deliver an engineering Tech Talk on Thurs., March 9th at 9:20 AM PST on the Expo Hall stage.

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About AMD

For more than 45 years AMD has driven innovation in high-performance computing, graphics and visualization technologies the building blocks for gaming, immersive platforms, and the datacenter. Hundreds of millions of consumers, leading Fortune 500 businesses and cutting-edge scientific research facilities around the world rely on AMD technology daily to improve how they live, work and play. AMD employees around the world are focused on building great products that push the boundaries of what is possible. For more information about how AMD is enabling today and inspiring tomorrow, visit the AMD (NASDAQ: AMD) website, blog, and Facebook and Twitter pages.

  1. AMD “Naples” processor includes up to 32 CPU cores versus the Xeon E5-2699A v4 processor with 22 CPU cores. NAP-02

  2. AMD “Naples” processor offers up to 64 PCI Express high speed I/O lanes per socket, versus the Xeon E5-2699A v4 processor at 40 lanes per socket. Note that the “Naples” pre-production processor used for this comparison is not yet certified as PCI Express-compliant. NAP-05

  3. AMD “Naples” processor supports up to 21.3 GB/s per channel with DDR4-2667 x 8 channels (total 170.7 GB/s), versus the Xeon E5-2699A v4 processor at 19.2 GB/s with max DDR4-2400 x 4 channels (total 76.8 GB/s). NAP-03

  4. Pending PCIe certification. PCIe is a registered trademark of PCI-SIG Corporation.