You’ve just switched to Zen 5 with the Ryzen 9000, you’re looking at Zen 6, due to arrive at the end of 2026…and now we’re talking about Zen 7! Yes, we’re talking about Zen 7, because until now it was this generation that would mark the end of life for AMD’s AM5 socket. But now there’s talk that things might be about to change. According to Youtube’s Nostradamus (aka MLID), who has a ratio as contrasting as he does, AMD changed its tune very recently and plans to support its future Zen 7 processors on current AM5 motherboards. In this way, the AM5 socket would match the longevity of the indestructible AM4 socket (which, however, seems to be on its last legs). According to the documents MLID claims to have consulted, Zen 7 is expected in 2028 at the earliest. This generation would be based on an A14 process (TSMC 14A). This would put us on a much more distant timetable than the official visibility of AM5 support until 2027.
ZEN 7: An AM5 socket to follow in AM4’s record footsteps?
Given the current state of knowledge about Zen 6 (and even less about Zen 7, of course), this rumour seems to us to have little credibility. This whole story comes on the heels of reports that Intel may support its next LGA1954 platform on at least four generations of processors. A way of putting an end to recurring criticism of the lifespan of Intel platforms and the relevance of these repeated changes. Indeed, while AMD has been treading water for some years now, the rivalry could once again be rekindled in the consumer market. Intel is aiming to regain its former lustre with Nova Lake, while AMD will be fiercely defending the market share it conquered with its efforts.
While the rumour of Zen 7’s continued use of socket AM5 is nothing to sneeze at, compared to what we experienced with the longevity of socket AM4, it is difficult to envisage. In fact, the arrival of Zen 6 in 2026 will considerably change the AMD landscape (particularly in terms of the number of cores available). Unless we conceive of the next generation as a transitional stage, it seems difficult to envisage its continuation when DDR6 and other standards are already being launched. Lastly, early information on Zen 7 still suggested an increase in the number of cores
