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AMD Confirms 7nm Zen 2 and Navi Tape Out For 2017

AMD has confirmed its intention to tape out its next-gen 7nm products during the second-half of 2017. If the 7nm process is just around the corner, that means the release of Zen 2 and Navi creeps ever closer.

What is a ‘Tape Out’?

For those scratching their heads, a ‘tape out’ is when a company finalises its semiconductor design before it begins fabrication. AMD’s 7nm process will replace its current 14nm FinFET process. The 7nm process must be in an advanced development stage already if AMD is expecting a tape out before the end of the year.

AMD: “Our Goal Is to Be Aggressive with 7nm Technology”

AMD CEO Lisa Su revealed the company’s7nm tape out plans to attendees of J.P. Morgan Global Technology, Media and Telecom Conference. During the event, the following conversation took place (via SeekingAlpha):

Harlan Sur – JPMorgan

“We talked initially in our discussion about the momentum carrying forward for the team and I think one of the things that you guys did a good job at Analyst Day was helping us to understand what’s next, right? And a good example of that is if we look at Zen 2, which you discussed at Analyst Day, that’s going to be ready sort of 2018, 2019 timeframe. Just maybe discuss in a little bit more granularity about the potential launch dates. These products are proposed to be using 7-nanometer technology from your foundry partners. When do you think such products are going to be sort of ready for tape-out and when do we see these products sort of out in the market?”

Lisa Su

“Yes, so our goal is to be very competitive in terms of our long-term roadmap. If you look at the foundry 7-nanometer roadmap compared to some of the other technologies out there, it’s actually really competitive. And I think the gap between sort of the foundry roadmap and like the Intel roadmap has gotten a lot closer. Our goal is to be aggressive with 7-nanometer technology. We will be doing tape-outs later this year. And as we get closer to production, we’ll give more insights there. But the idea is to be very competitive throughout the product portfolio.”