AMD has published the full EPYC 9006 "Venice" lineup on its product page, listing specifications and 1,000-unit pricing for all 31 Zen 6 server processors across the SP7 and SP8 platforms. Prices start at $700 for the 8-core EPYC 9016 and top out at $14,904 for the 256-core EPYC 9996. AMD says the specifications are subject to change. The EPYC 9996 is the flagship, with 256 Zen 6c cores and 512 threads, a 2.55 GHz base clock, up to 4.1 GHz boost, 1 GB of L3 cache, and a default CPU power of 600 W (configurable from 400 W to 600 W). That works out to roughly $58 per core, and it costs about the same as the 192-core EPYC 9965 did at launch, which was around $14,800.

The SP7 platform covers nine chips, from the 64-core EPYC 9556 at $8,008 up to the 9996. The 22 chips on the SP8 platform run from 8 cores up to the 128-core EPYC 9746 at $11,679. AMD has also retired TDP as its power label for this generation, using "Default CPU Power" instead. SP7 systems are expected in Q4 2026, with SP8 following in the first half of 2027. These are 1Ku prices, so what OEMs charge for complete systems will probably look quite different. Nevertheless, it looks like the EPYC 9996 is the one to watch for this generation, especially after AMD's claims of beating NVIDIA's Vera CPUs by a significant margin.

NextSilicon, a leader in next-generation computing solutions for AI and high-performance computing (HPC), today announced plans to productize its Arbel RISC-V core into a 64-core and a 128-core, enterprise-grade processor suited to deliver ultra-speed performance for agentic tools, expected to be available in early 2028. Following an October preview, the company is now sharing expanded technical detail and a roadmap shaped by early customer and partner feedback. This announcement coincides with NextSilicon's presentation at the RISC-V Summit.

NextSilicon designed Arbel from the ground up for the performance demands of AI infrastructure and HPC. The move from test chip to production roadmap follows customer and partner silicon evaluations, including HPC program leads, AI infrastructure architects, and data center operators. Their input has validated Arbel's key performance attributes and is shaping the requirements and architecture decisions for the 64-core production processor.

Today, System76, the leading Linux-first computing platform, introduced significant updates to its Thelio product family with the new Thelio Mira desktop and Thelio Major workstation. The two systems - designed, engineered, and manufactured in Denver - deliver a complete range of professional and mission-critical capabilities for organizations that demand sustained performance, open architecture, and hardware built to last.

Engineered for Linux from the hardware up, both systems ship with Pop!_OS 24.04 LTS or Ubuntu. This full-stack approach distinguishes System76 from any other desktop manufacturer in the market.

A month ago, AMD launched the Ryzen Threadripper PRO 9000 WX-Series of processors, but at the time, the company didn't provide any pricing. Today, in a blog post, the company revealed the pricing for five of the six new Threadripper processors, skipping the 12-core 9945WX for some reason. As these are workstation chips with up to 96 cores, pricing is accordingly high, with the 16-core 9955WX coming in at US$1,649. The 24-core 9965WX comes in at US$2,899, followed by the 32-core 9975WX at US$4,099. Things start to get really eye watering with the 64-core 9985WX at US$7,999 and finally the 96-core 9995WX at US$11,699.

In all fairness, the per core cost actually gets a lot lower with the two high-end parts, but it's pretty clear that these 350 W TDP chips are not intended for consumer use. AMD also added some new benchmark figures, comparing the 9995WX with Intel's Xeon W9-3595X. AMD claims to best it by between 40 and 145 percent, depending on the benchmark in question. It's a bit of an unfair comparison though, as the W9-3595X is only a 60-core CPU that has an MSRP of US$5,889, but Intel doesn't have any higher-end options in its workstation lineup either. It would've made more sense to put the W9-3595X up against the 9985WX though, as the two are closer both in terms of core count and price point.