AMD's current chipset, AM5 – which arrived last year with Ryzen 7000 processors – won't be replaced until 2026 at the earliest, and could very well stick around longer.
In an interview with retailer and PC maker Overclockers UK – see video clip below (marked by computer world) – AMD's David McAfee, VP and General Manager of the Client Channel Business, talked about how long future support for AM5 could last.
When asked if AMD's previous commitment to support the AM5 chipset (and the motherboards containing it) until 2025, McAfee responded: “It absolutely still is. I think we certainly recognize that the longevity of the AM4 platforms was one of the biggest reasons that led to Ryzen's success.
“And as we think about the future, 2025 and beyond, the decision to move to the next generation of sockets will be one that will be considered very, very carefully.”
McAfee later added that “we'll see how long that promise lasts beyond 2025.”
So that's an indication that the next socket and chipset for AMD's desktop processors won't be here until 2026 at the earliest, and possibly not until 2027 – or even later?
Analysis: Good news for upgrades
What does this mean for the consumer? If you just bought an AMD Ryzen 7000 CPU, it's installed on a motherboard with the AM5 chipset, and this means you'll be able to plug future generations of processors into that motherboard for at least another three years.
Once the chipset and socket are replaced, you can no longer simply plug a fast new CPU into your motherboard because it won't fit in that socket. This means that you need to upgrade not only the processor, but also the motherboard. (And that's significantly more expensive, not to mention a lot more hassle in terms of the upgrade process).
The previous chipset and socket, AM4, debuted in 2016 and was replaced by AM5 last year – so it effectively reigned as the current-generation chipset for six years. This is why people were a bit disappointed that AMD only 'guaranteed' that AM5 would rule until at least 2025, but now there are indications that this may be extended. A similar six-year cycle would of course mean that AM5 would not be obsolete until 2028.
The next generation of Zen 5 processors (Ryzen 8000, or maybe 9000) will arrive next year, possibly around mid-2024, and will definitely be on AM5. So, assuming the next generation shows up around 2026 – and if it continues to support AM5 again – we'd be looking at around 2028 before we'd have a switch in the chipset. That's a big 'if', but at least Team Red is making relatively positive noises about the socket's longevity here.