AMD and Intel Gear Up for Core War with Zen 6 and Nova Lake

Despite AMD’s Zen 6 consumer processors expected towards the end of this year, details have been sparse. However, today brings insights into some key characteristics. Insider HXL (@9550pro) shared information about chiplets in the new-generation processors, comparing them with their predecessors.

One CCD chiplet in the new Ryzen will feature 12 cores and 48 MB of L3 cache. Thanks to TSMC’s 2nm technology, the die area of such a chiplet will be around 76 mm², only slightly larger than a Zen 5 chiplet. To make the comparison clearer, below are similar data for all chiplets up to Zen 2:

• Zen 2: 2×4 cores, 2×16 MB L3, area 77 mm² (TSMC N7)
• Zen 3: 8 cores, 32MB L3, area 83 mm² (TSMC N7)
• Zen 4: 8 cores, 32MB L3, area 72 mm² (TSMC N5)
• Zen 5: 8 cores, 32MB L3, area 71 mm² (TSMC N4)

As we can see, with the advent of Zen 6, there will be a significant change in the chiplet structure: more cores and more cache memory. Thus, the top model, whatever it is called, will have 24 cores, leveraging TSMC’s 2nm node, significantly increasing transistor density and enhancing speed and energy efficiency.

AMD Faces-off with Intel: A 2026 Power Struggle

AMD will have stiff competition from Intel’s impressively spec’d Nova Lake processors, which will house up to 52 cores, though only 16 of these will be high-power performance cores. On AMD’s side, an important advantage will be maintaining the AM5 socket format, ensuring backward compatibility and seamless upgrade paths.

Insider HXL (@9550pro), who first shared data on RTX 4090 overclocking, published parameters of Core i5-13400, and disclosed Radeon RX 9000 launch timelines, sheds light on AMD’s strategy to leverage advancements in 2nm tech sooner than Intel, who aims for a 2027 timeline for their broader adoption of similar technology.