Ampere Computing has quietly expanded its AmpereOne CPU lineup with a new series of high-core-count processors. The launch came without a formal press release or media briefing. It follows the recent acquisition of Ampere by tech investment giant SoftBank.
The new CPUs, branded as the AmpereOne M series, are designed for memory-intensive applications in cloud and AI data centers. The processors support 12-channel DDR5 memory and come with up to 192 single-threaded cores. These chips also require a new motherboard design due to changes in socket and memory architecture.
The AmpereOne M processors use a 7228-pin FCLGA socket and include six models, featuring 96, 144, 160, or 192 Armv8.6+ custom cores. Each core has a 2MB L2 cache and runs at speeds of up to 3.60 GHz. The CPUs are also equipped with 64MB of system-level cache.
One of the standout features of this new series is the 12-channel DDR5 memory support. Each channel supports one DIMM and a total memory capacity of up to 3TB using DDR5-5600. The memory system includes ECC protection, featuring both SECDED and Symbol ECC, making the chips suitable for critical workloads in cloud environments.
Power consumption can reach up to 348 watts, but Ampere has included several technologies to manage this. The CPUs feature dynamic voltage and frequency scaling, adaptive voltage control, and fine-grained thermal sensors to optimize power efficiency.
For connectivity, the AmpereOne M processors offer 96 lanes of PCIe 5.0 with bifurcation down to x4. They also include 24 device controllers, allowing integration with multiple accelerators, SSDs, and network interfaces—important for AI and high-performance computing tasks.
Like their predecessors, the new chips are built using TSMC’s 5nm process node. The main improvement in this release is the expanded memory support, as core architecture and process technology remain largely unchanged. Each CPU supports up to 192 threads, which is lower than AMD’s EPYC 9965, a 192-core processor with simultaneous multithreading that handles up to 384 threads.
Still, Ampere’s focus may be more forward-looking. These chips seem to lay the groundwork for the upcoming AmpereOne MX series. That future line will reportedly feature 256 cores, the same 12 DDR5 channels, and will use TSMC’s advanced 3nm process. This could bring both greater performance and improved energy efficiency.
