Review: AMD Epyc 7763 2P (Milan)

Conclusion

Three words can summarise AMD's sever-focussed, third-generation Epyc processors: consolidation, consistency and cadence.

Codenamed Milan and officially known as AMD Epyc 7003 Series, 19 new processors build on the foundations laid by the previous two generations.

AMD keeps to the maximum 64 cores and 128 threads available in the best-of-breed Epycs and improves performance by implementing the latest Zen 3 architecture that offers higher core IPC allied to a lower-latency access to a larger pool of per-core-addressable L3 cache. For those more familiar with the client desktop environment, AMD's latest Epyc chips replicate the same kind of performance gain witnessed between the Zen 2-powered Ryzen 3000 Series and Zen 3 Ryzen 5000 Series.

The sum of AMD's engineering efforts offers between 10-20 per cent more performance on a model-to-model basis compared with the previous generation. Such gains naturally extend AMD's attractiveness in the high-performance computing (HPC) space, as the company continues to enjoy a commanding core-and-thread advantage over rival Intel in the mass-market dual-processor segment.

Equally as important for many customers already invested in the AMD server ecosystem, Epyc 7003 Series represents a drop-in upgrade from the near-two-year-old Epyc 7002, whilst maintaining a full roster of cutting-edge features across the entire Epyc stack remains an astute move.

Is that general 10-20 per cent performance uptick enough to convince adopters of last-gen Epyc to move on over? Maybe, depending upon just how well Epyc 7003 series takes advantage of their workload - some memory-intensive applications will see a much larger gain, and security is now more robust - so we expect the last generation to co-exist in the marketplace for a while.

It is unfeasible for AMD to keep doubling per-socket performance with every release. It's very likely the next iteration, codenamed Genoa, will provide a much larger bump in per-socket capability through more cores, more memory channels and next-gen platform connectivity. We'd imagine the imputed uplift would be similar to how second-gen Rome tramples all over first-gen Naples on most fronts.

Leaving conjecture firmly to one side, today's Epyc 7003 Series hits the required 2021 straps by providing generational consolidation, launches on-time with respect to cadence, and continues to offer that top-to-bottom consistency established by the first generation back in 2017.

But let's be clear and provide wider context. Even though it has suffered a number of well-publicised missteps in recent times, Intel still holds over 90 per cent server processor market share, according to independent reports, so AMD's incursion into the lucrative server space is steady rather than electric. And whilst it is not likely to match AMD's top-line performance, Intel is busy putting the final touches to the next iteration of Xeon processors based on the Ice Lake architecture, which promise higher IPC and more cores.

Rather than be distracted by the competition, however, AMD knows the best way forward is to continue on-time execution of the impressive server roadmap. Epyc 7003 Series does exactly that, instilling present and potential customers with further confidence for the burgeoning server proposition.

Bottom line: effectively building on previous server processors, Epyc 7003 Series offers class-leading performance, a robust feature-set, and relative value which advances the total cost of ownership argument further towards AMD. Intel, over to you.

AMD Epyc 7763 2P

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