We will have to be careful not to get too carried away, especially since the source of the rumor of the day is the sulphurous Moore’s Law Is Dead, but according to its sources, AMD would be thinking about the possibility of making Grimlock Ridge a real fireworks display to celebrate the end of the platform’s life AM5.
In November 2025, MLID had already presented to us what the two types of CCD “general public” as the future architecture Zen 7 should offer: Silverton et Silverking. Tom does not return to this point, and here is a summary in a small table of the characteristics he puts forward for these two versions:
| CCD | Surface | CÅ“urs | L2 | L3 | 3D V-Cache option… |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Silverton | 98 mm² | 16 | 32 Mo | 64 Mo | Yes…: 160 MB |
| Silverking | 56 mm² | 8 | 16 Mo | 32 Mo | Non |
With a maximum possible configuration of two Silverton CCDs each equipped with 3D V-Cache, like what we are currently experiencing with the arrival of the Ryzen 9 9950X3D in Zen 5 architecture, we could therefore hope at best for a Grimlock Ridge flagship composed of 32 Zen 7 cores and 320 MB of 3D V-Cache (448 MB of L3 Cache in total).
It was already not that bad, but Tom has just published a new video, where he explains that AMD is considering bringing the AM5 and the general public something even more powerful, with CCDs Steamboatnormally reserved for EPYC ! Hold on tight, because this is what he says a Steamboat CCD would look like using lithography TSMC A14 :
| CCD | Surface | CÅ“urs | L2 | L3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steamboat | 117 mm² | 36 | 72 Mo | 252 Mo (stacké) |
There is no direct question here of “3D V-Cache”, but the idea is close. The surface of the main die with the cores and the L2 Cache would be, according to MLID, 107 mm² and, just below, would directly take place another “stacked” die of 117 mm² containing the entire 252 MB of L3 Cache of the CCD. Impressive quantities of both cores and L3, when we remember that this is only a single CCD… You will have understood, this is where the rumor becomes quite crazy…: MLID sells dreams by saying that if AMD goes through with its idea, and offers an ultimate version of its latest generation of AM5 processors with two of these Steambot CCDs, we could be entitled to to a CPU equipped with72 cÅ“urs Zen 7 et 504 Mo de L3 !
Well, let’s calm down, because MLID itself is taking out its tweezers regarding this possibility of seeing Steamboat arrive in AM5 for the general public, that’s saying… Nevertheless, dreaming a little sometimes doesn’t hurt, right?
