Following the recent Linux kernel patch adding the AMD Zen 6 synthetic feature flag I suspected more AMD Zen 6 kernel patches would begin flowing… Sure enough, two new patches today noting some new model IDs in the Family 1Ah family as well as confirming rumors that next-gen EPYC Venice processors would support 16 channel memory.
The new patches are simply described as:
“This patchset adds support for newer AMD’s Family 1Ah-based SOCs.”
But with the Zen 5 parts in Family 1Ah already covered and these patches bumping limits from 12 memory channels to 16 memory channels, pretty much confirms that the new code is for Zen 6.
Family 1Ah models 0x50 to 0x57, 0x90 to 0x9f, 0xa0 to 0xaf, and 0xc0 to 0xc7 are the model IDs being detected. Some of those ranges support up to eight memory controllers while the others support 16 memory controllers. The “NUM_CONTROLLERS” limit was also bumped from 12 to 16.
The second patch also reiterates up to 16 memory channels:
“Newer AMD systems can support up to 16 channels per EDAC “mc” device.”
That’s all from these latest AMD patches for the Linux kernel as they begin laying the ground work for AMD Zen 6 processors that are expected to launch in 2026. Stay tuned to Phoronix for coverage on material hitting the public mailing lists. Besides 16 channel DDR5 memory, AMD EPYC Venice was confirmed at AMD AI Day as supporting up to 256 Zen 6 cores… Considering the phenomenal performance out of the EPYC 9005 Turin series right now, EPYC Venice should be a real treat.
