AMD EPYC Verano AI host CPU to use new SB1 socket, 24-channel LPDDR5X
A Dynatron server-cooler listing indicates AMD's AI-server-focused EPYC 9006-series 'Verano' chips will use an all-new SB1 socket and need different cooling than other Zen 6 EPYC parts. The report says Verano offers up to 72 Zen 6 cores at up to 5 GHz with a 24-channel LPDDR5X memory subsystem using replaceable SOCAMM2 modules, and AMD plans to launch it in the second half of 2027.
It suggests AI-accelerator host CPUs are becoming specialized, socket-and-configuration-wise, in the way Nvidia's Grace parts are.
AMD's upcoming EPYC 9006-series 'Verano' CPUs that are specifically designed for AI servers will use an all-new SB1 socket and will require different cooling systems than other processors in the lineup, according to a listing at Dynatron, a leading maker of server coolers, discovered by InstLatX64. The new SB1 socket will be smaller than SP7 and SP8 sockets for other Zen 6-based EPYC CPUs and will therefore have different power and cooling needs.
AMD's Verano is quite different from conventional EPYC processors. The CPU will feature up to 72 Zen 6 cores operating at up to 5 GHz and a massive 24-channel LPDDR5X memory subsystem that uses replaceable SOCAMM2 modules. AMD positions Verano as a host processor for AI servers, where CPUs primarily orchestrate workloads running on AI accelerators rather than provide maximum general-purpose performance themselves. Such specialization could explain why AMD developed SB1 instead of using SP7, which accommodates up to 256-core EPYC 'Venice' processors, or SP8, designed for models with up to 128 cores. Meanwhile, AMD has not disclosed SB1's specifications, dimensions, or capabilities just yet.