2023-07-21 17:13:00
AMD may launch its future processors with significantly more microcode than the current generation. As reported by Phoronix this Friday (21), the manufacturer performed an update on Linux in order to adapt the kernel to support microcodes with greater loads.
Linux currently has a maximum file size of patch of microcode for AMD processors that is three times the size of the kernel page, i.e. regarding 12 KB. The hardware giant performed an update that increases this capacity to eight times the kernel page size, i.e. 36 KB.
Future AMD CPUs will have microcode patches that exceed the current limit of three pages (4K).
A processor’s microcode is a fundamental set of instructions that control the operation of the CPU. It is a small memory chip that controls the arithmetic logic unit (ALU), cache memory, and other hardware components.
Increasing the capacity of supported microcode may suggest that AMD’s upcoming chips — presumably the “Ryzen 8000” line with Zen 5 architecture — may support more complex instructions or receive new capabilities following their release.
Another possibility is that the manufacturer is just ensuring a better ability to perform security updates on the CPU firmware, eliminating the need to redesign all the hardware, which would be a more expensive process for AMD.
The next generation of brand processors is expected to be announced in 2024. Little information is known regarding the new line, but it is possible that the Zen 5 architecture will take advantage of TSMC’s 4-nanometer lithography, in addition to bringing improvements in instructions per clock and an increase in cache memory capacity.
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