AMD is already working on Zen 7 processors, which will arrive two generations after the next-generation Zen 5 CPUs.
It’s enlightening to hear that work is already underway on a processor family that can go three generations ahead. But of course, these are just the very early design stages for Zen 7. (Possibly drawn on a paper napkin.)
This revelation came from AMD’s CTO Mark Papermaster, during Team Red’s Zen 5 Tech Day (as Video cardz marked), where the director also publicly confirmed that Zen 6 will be the successor to the Ryzen 9000 (Zen 5) for the first time.
Unfortunately, we weren’t given any indication of a timetable – not even a vague one – for the arrival of Zen 6 processors (and obviously no word on Zen 7 either, which is still a long, long way off).
Of course, Zen 5 Tech Day was mostly about, er, Zen 5, and we learned some interesting new tidbits about the upcoming Ryzen 9000 CPUs (with four initial models). That includes confirmation of a release date as July 31, a handy new overclocking feature for Zen 5, and perhaps most notable of all, new details on how the Ryzen 9700X is likely to perform – with positive news on that front for the workhorse CPU.
Analysis: CPUs That Will Be Used in PCs by the End of the Decade
If AMD’s usual release cadence is anything to go by, the Zen 6 processors that will succeed the Ryzen 9000 will likely arrive in mid-2026, or just before that – perhaps late Q2 – and so Zen 7 could arrive in early Q2 of 2028. That’s just a logical guess, of course, but it’s probably not too far off.
To put this in perspective, AMD has already started developing the Ryzen processors that will underpin the average desktop PC at the beginning of the decade (theoretically just before Zen 8 comes out).
Another relevant bit of information to discuss here concerns chipset support, specifically how long the current AM5 chipset will be kept alive by AMD.
Team Red confirmed that it will be supported until at least 2027 or beyond, meaning if you buy a new AMD (AM5) motherboard now, not only will it be good for Ryzen 7000 and 9000 CPUs, but it will also be compatible with the next-gen, Zen 6 – but perhaps not Zen 7. With Zen 7, AMD can change the CPU socket, meaning you’ll need to buy a new motherboard (with that custom socket) to use one of the Zen 7 family’s speedy new processors.