Zen is the codename for a computer processor microarchitecture from AMD, and was first

used with their Ryzen series of CPUs in February 2017.[1][8] The first Zen based preview
system was demonstrated at E3 2016, and first substantially detailed at an event hosted a
block away from the Intel Developer Forum 2016. The first Zen based CPUs codenamed
"Summit Ridge" reached the market in early March 2017, with Zen-derived Opteron server
processors expected in the second quarter of 2017, [7] and Zen-based APUs expected to
follow in the second half of 2017.
Zen is a clean sheet design that differs from the long-standing Bulldozer architecture. Zen-
based processors use a 14 nm FinFET process, are reportedly more energy efficient, and
have a significantly higher IPC. SMT has been introduced, allowing each core to run 2
threads. The cache system has also been redesigned, making the L1 cache write-back.
Additionally, Zen based processors utilize the AM4 socket, bringing DDR4 support.[9]
Zen is based on a SoC design.[10] The memory, PCIe, SATA, and USB controllers are
incorporated into the same chip as the processor cores. This has advantages in bandwidth
and power, at the expense of chip complexity and die area.[11] This SoC design will allow
the Zen microarchitecture to scale from laptops and small-form factor mini PCs to high-end
desktops and servers.