Dr. Lisa Su, AMD's CEO, made news during the CES 2022 AMD keynote on Tuesday when she revealed that AMD Zen 4 processors will be released sometime in the second half of 2022.
What's more, Su appears to have confirmed that not only will Zen 4 support DDR5 memory, but will also support the new PCIe 5.0 standard.
"Just as we did with Ryzen 6000 mobile, our next-gen Ryzen desktop processors will be paired with next-generation memory and connectivity technologies to deliver the ultimate experience," Dr. Su said.
If Dr. Su is in fact referring to DDR5 and PCIe 5.0, then Ryzen 7000-series desktop chips will be in a good position to challenge Intel's Alder Lake processors later this year as more DDR5 and PCIe 5.0-compatible hardware like SSDs become more widely available.
Analysis: AMD is cutting it close, but might be releasing Zen 4 just in time
There has been a lot of speculation around when AMD might release its next-gen processors to compete with Intel's latest chips.
Intel released its first batch of 12th-gen processors back in November 2021, so it would appear to have substantial lead time on AMD's Zen 4, but with DDR5 and PCIe 5.0 hardware slow to market, Intel's greatest advantage right now isn't getting the kind of traction that could really make a difference in long-term adoption of its Alder Lake processors.
Most DDR5 and PCIe 5.0 hardware that people are most likely to buy aren't going to be released until later this year, so just as people are looking to upgrade, Zen 4 will either be available or near enough that builders might be willing to wait.
AMD is still cutting it close, but with the combination of its 5nm process and tech like 3D V-Cache, AMD might just get Zen 4 to market in the nick of time.
- Check out all of TechRadar's CES 2022 coverage. We're bringing you all the breaking tech news and launches, everything from 8K TVs and foldable displays to new phones, laptops and smart home gadgets.
