The Epyc CPU developed for Microsoft is not so unique

In fact, it is a modification of the Instinct MI300C, but it is also more about parameterization.

In the middle of the week, we reported that a unique Epyc CPU was designed by AMD and Microsoft, but we asked about the design in question, and in fact the solution used is not that unique.

The foundations are specifically provided by the Instinct MI300C, which exists on paper, but in reality AMD does not offer it to the mass market, as it can cover limited needs due to the limited memory capacity. Regardless of this, Azure HBv5 is aimed at a direction for which it is an optimal solution, but Microsoft does not receive the classic basics, but also comes with unique parameterization.

In a nutshell, the Instinct MI300C is a version of the MI300A with no XCD chip at all, only 12 CCDs with HBM3 memories. On the unique Epyc design offered to Microsoft, 11 CCDs are physically active, so 88 Zen 4 cores come out, and SMT is disabled at the factory. In addition, the core clock is specifically tailored to the needs of the Redmond giant, and we also know that the HBM3 memory clock is not at factory level either. Here, the people involved are probably playing with the consumption, what is the optimal balance in terms of the energy demand and performance of the components inside the encapsulation.