AMD Creates Quad Core Zen SoC with 24 Vega CUs for Chinese Consoles

AMD has cornered the x86 console market with its handy semi-custom mix of processors and graphics. While we slowly await the next generation of consoles from Microsoft and Sony, today AMD and Zhongshan Subor announced that a custom chip has been made for a new gaming PC and an upcoming console for the Chinese market.

The announcement states that a custom chip has been created for Subor that is based on four Zen cores running at 3.0 GHz and 24 compute units of Vega running at 1.3 GHz. The chip is supported by 8GB of GDDR5 memory, which the press release states is also embedded onto the chip, however it is likely to actually be on the package instead. Compare this to the specifications of AMD’s current SoC designs, such as the Ryzen 5 2400G, which has four Zen cores and 11 Vega CUs. Or Intel’s multi-chip design featuring four Intel cores and an AMD-based 24 compute unit GPU paired with 4GB of HBM2 memory. There is also AMD’s Vega Mobile chip, which is expected to be in the 24-32 compute unit range, however this is also paired with 4GB of HBM2.

AMD Semi-Custom Comparison
	Zhongshan Subor	Ryzen 5 2400G APU	Vega Mobile	Intel with Radeon RX Vega	Xbox One X	Sony Playstation 4 Pro
Year	2018	2017	TBD	2018	2017	2016
Cores/Threads	4 / 8	4 / 8	-	4 / 8	8 / 8	8 / 8
CPU uArch	Zen	Zen	-	Kaby Lake	Jaguar+	Jaguar
Peak Frequency	3.0 GHz	3.8 GHz	-	4.1 GHz	2.3 GHz	2.13 GHz
GPU	Vega	Vega	Vega	Polaris	Polaris	Polaris
GPU CUs	24	11	24-32	24	40	36
GPU SPs	1536	704	1536-2048	1536	2560	2304
GPU Freq	1300 MHz	1250 MHz	?	1190 MHz	1172 MHz	911 MHz
GPU DRAM	8 GB GDDR5	System DRAM	4GB HBM2	4GB HBM2	12GB GDDR5	8GB GDDR5
Located	Subor PC Subor Console	Desktops	-	Hades Canyon NUC	Xbox One X	PS4 Pro

AMD's Scott Herkelman with Vega Mobile (left) and Vega 64 (right)

Assuming that this custom chip is a single chip design, with CPU and GPU, this means that AMD is handily gaining custom contracts and designing custom chip designs for its customers, even for consoles that won’t have the mass western appeal such as the Xbox or Playstation.

The demo given at the ChinaJoy event (the Chinese equivalent of E3 it seems) in Shanghai was initially of a PC that Subor plans to launch in late-August with the new chip. An upcoming console, based on the same hardware, is expected to be launched by the end of 2018. AMD cites that this is a key win for its semi-custom division, especially in a key market such as China. In this market, AMD also has semi-custom collaborations with Tsinghua, and a Joint Venture with THATIC.

The new SoC, name unknown, will support FreeSync, the Adrenalin software, and Rapid Packed Math, confirming that this is a true Vega design (unlike the chip used by Intel in its combination product).

Update:

Over at zol.com.cn, there are images of the unit:

Related Reading

• Intel and Tsinghua University to Co-Develop Semi-Custom Solutions for Servers
• China Calling: AMD Forms Joint Venture for x86 Server SoCs in China
• AMD Vega Mobile Announcement
• Intel Core with Radeon RX Vega M Graphics Launched: HP, Dell, and Intel NUC