AMD Unveils EPYC 7000 Series Processors And Platform To Take On Intel In the Data Center

Energy efficiency and power management are major considerations in modern data centers. To maximize efficiency and minimize power consumption, AMD has incorporated a number of technologies into EPYC, including adaptive, dynamic frequency and voltage adjustments based on the processor’s temperature and workload.



Voltages and frequency will scale up or down, based on temperature and current limitations, which are monitored in real-time using sensors scattered throughout the die. The processors feature fine-grained P-states that allow frequencies to scale in 25MHz increments. When fewer cores are operational, frequencies scale upward to maximize performance, but the frequency will adapt as necessary to keep the chip within its thermal limits.


AMD’s smart efficiency algorithms also recognize whether or not a particular workload is sensitive to latency and lowers the core frequency when possible, to optimize performance per watt. And EPYC has per-core linear power regulation as well. High-end EPYC processors feature 32 cores, spread across 4 die, and each can be operated at different voltages and frequencies when needed, depending on the workload and environmental conditions.


I/O power is scalable on EPYC 7000 series processors too, through the use of Dynamic Link Width Modulation. Because full bandwidth between sockets is not always necessary, the PCIe links between sockets can be powered down dynamically. AMD claims this feature alone can improve performance per watt by up to 8% at the CPU socket.



The estimates provided by AMD claims EPYC 7000 series servers have lower average power and use less total energy than equivalent Intel Xeon E5 v4-based servers, to the tune of 12% - 22% energy savings at the system level. AMD is also claiming a 1.54x to 1.76x performance per watt advantage.