Zhaoxin has officially introduced its new KH-50000 series processors, the company’s most advanced server CPUs to date. Featuring a groundbreaking chiplet-based design that packs up to 96 cores into a single socket through 12 interconnected CPU chiplets paired with a large I/O die, all built on the new “Century Avenue” architecture.
This model offers scalable core configurations, including a 72-core variant, with a base clock speed of 2.2 GHz for the 96-core version rising to 2.6 GHz for the 72-core option, and both capable of boosting up to 3.0 GHz for demanding tasks. It boasts an impressive 384 MB of shared L3 cache to handle intensive workloads in AI, cloud computing, big data analysis, and general-purpose server applications, while supporting up to 12 channels of DDR5 ECC RDIMM memory for a maximum capacity of 3 TB, marking a clear upgrade from the DDR4 limitations of prior generations.
On the connectivity front, the KH-5000 delivers robust I/O with 128 lanes of PCIe 5.0 that include ZPI/CXL compatibility for enhanced data center interconnects, plus 16 lanes of PCIe 4.0, SATA 3.2 storage interfaces, and USB 3.2 Gen2 ports, all optimized for low-latency, high-bandwidth operations via the new ZPI 5.0 interconnect that also promises reduced power consumption. Fully x86-compatible for both 32-bit and 64-bit instructions, it incorporates AVX2 vector extensions alongside specialized SM2, SM3, and SM4 cryptographic accelerations tailored for secure Chinese computing environments. Compared to Zhaoxin’s previous KH-40000 series from late 2022—based on the “Yongfeng” architecture with a maximum of just 32 cores, 2.5 GHz clocks, and DDR4 support—the KH-5000 delivers nearly triple the core density, faster memory bandwidth, and superior interconnect tech, building on even earlier lines like the KH-30000 (up to 16 cores) and KH-20000 (8 cores) that relied on outdated architectures such as “Xiangshan” or custom ZX-C+ designs.
This enables multi-socket scalability, supporting dual- or quad-socket server builds for up to 384 cores in total, positioning it as a competitive alternative for high-performance computing without heavy reliance on foreign silicon. Officially unveiled as Zhaoxin’s most advanced server processor yet, the KH-5000 is slated for release in the third quarter of 2025, underscoring China’s push toward semiconductor self-sufficiency amid ongoing global supply chain tensions.
Source: Zhaoxin