Engineering samples of AMD’s next-generation EPYC Venice Zen 6 CPUs have appeared in the OpenBenchmarking database, giving us the clearest look yet at what AMD’s 6th Gen server lineup will look like. Three evaluation platforms — codenamed after African countries — are at the centre of it all.
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The Three Leaked Platforms at a Glance
The platforms are named Congo, Kenya, and Nigeria, each tested with a unique Venice engineering sample on the new SP7 socket.
| Platform | Config | Cores / Threads | Clock Speed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Congo | Single socket | 192C / 384T | 4.02 GHz |
| Kenya | Single socket | 64C & 128C variants | 4.02 GHz |
| Nigeria | Dual socket (2P) | 64C, 128C & 192C | Up to 384C total |
The Nigeria 2P platform was configured with up to 32 sticks of 64 GB DDR5 memory rated at 8000 MT/s — that’s 2 TB of memory, expandable further with higher-density modules.
Why These Numbers Matter
The standout Congo entry is an 8 CCD + 2 IOD design, with 24 cores per CCD — suggesting a binned version of the standard 32-core Zen 6c CCD, with 8 cores disabled per CCD to optimise yields or power efficiency.
The architecture shift goes deeper than core counts. While EPYC has used a single central IOD since Zen 2, Venice moves to a dual IOD setup — one die dedicated to memory and Infinity Fabric, the other to high-speed I/O like PCIe and CXL. That enables AMD’s promised 1.6 TB/s of memory bandwidth.
Even in this early engineering state, the Venice Zen 6 CPUs are delivering performance that closely matches similar core-count SKUs from the 5th Gen Turin lineup — and AMD hasn’t even finished tuning them yet. The company has already committed to a 70% performance and efficiency uplift with a 30% increase in overall density over its current generation.
AMD is on track to launch these 6th Gen EPYC processors in the second half of 2026, with more concrete details expected at Computex this June. Venice CPUs will also pair with AMD’s next Instinct AI accelerators in the Helios AI rack platform launching in 2027 — making this one of the most anticipated server launches in recent memory.
For more CPU and hardware coverage, follow TechnoSports and the official AMD EPYC product page.
FAQs
When will AMD EPYC Venice Zen 6 CPUs officially launch?
AMD is targeting a second half of 2026 launch, with more details expected at Computex in June.
What socket does AMD EPYC Venice use?
Venice uses the new SP7 socket, which is not compatible with previous-generation EPYC platforms.
