GoKawiilAMD ships Zen 6 Epyc 9006 'Venice' chips with up to 256 cores on TSMC N2
AMD has begun shipping its first Zen 6 Epyc server processors, the 9006 series codenamed Venice, starting with SP7 platforms while SP8 systems follow in early 2027. The flagship Epyc 9996 offers 256 cores, 512 threads, a 4.1GHz boost clock, 1GB of L3 cache, and configurable power from 400W to 600W, priced at $14,904, while the lineup starts at $700 for an eight-core Epyc 9016.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
AMD's own benchmarks claim the 9996 doubles or triples Intel's Xeon 6980P in some workloads, and independent testing by Tom's Hardware found a dual 9996 setup up to 93% faster than AMD's previous Epyc 9965 generation, suggesting a substantial generational leap rather than incremental gains. The move to TSMC's N2 process and PCIe 6.0 support indicates AMD is positioning Venice specifically for AI inference and GPU-hosting workloads, where per-dollar and per-watt efficiency claims could sway data center buyers weighing AMD against Intel.
- Flagship Epyc 9996 has 256 cores, 512 threads, and up to 1GB L3 cache, priced at $14,904
- Built on TSMC's N2 node, AMD claims up to 2.6x better performance per watt over prior Epyc chips
- Independent testing shows up to 93% gains over the previous-generation Epyc 9965 in intrate benchmarks
Source: techspot.com — Daniel Sims, 2026-11-11
Published there as: “AMD launches Zen 6 Epyc 9006 series with up to 256 cores, 512 threads, and TSMC N2”
Read the original report → The summary and analysis above are GoKawiil's own, written from reporting by the source above. Facts and quotes belong to the original publisher.