AMD Unveils Processors With Up to 256 Cores to Advance Samsung Semiconductor Testing
Key Facts
On November 10, 2026, AMD announced the launch of its sixth-generation EPYC Embedded 9006 processors and presented configurations combining them with Samsung memory and storage products for use in semiconductor manufacturing test infrastructure. AMD says the processors will serve as a control and coordination engine in automated test systems, managing memory and storage test workloads and enabling more tests to run in parallel. The announcement outlines a plan to bring these capabilities into Samsung's infrastructure; it does not confirm that they are already in operational use. "We look forward to working with AMD to bring these capabilities into our manufacturing test infrastructure," said Jangseok Choi, vice president of Samsung's memory product planning team. The collaboration comes as AMD says semiconductor test systems need to keep pace with the growth of AI infrastructure and data volumes to avoid becoming a bottleneck to progress.
The announced configuration combines AMD processors with Samsung DDR5 RDIMM and MRDIMM memory, a PM1763 SSD supporting the PCIe Gen 6 interface, and a CMM-D MD310 module for CXL 3.2-based memory. The group is intended for test systems handling memory and storage within manufacturing infrastructure. AMD says the EPYC Embedded 9006 series supports up to 256 cores and 512 threads. The version becoming available first has up to 128 cores. The announced configuration links processing, memory and storage in the context of managing semiconductor tests and running them in parallel.
AMD says processing throughput in the series is up to 1.8 times higher than in the previous generation, memory bandwidth can increase by up to 2.7 times, and I/O bandwidth improves by up to 1.5 times. The company presents these figures as comparisons with the previous generation, without attributing them to published performance measurements of Samsung's system after integration. It also says the processors offer a seven-year product life, with firmware updates and software support for long-lived embedded applications. AMD says keeping test systems up to date matters as AI infrastructure and enterprise data expand. According to the company's description, the processors may help manage memory and storage tests and enable more of them to run in parallel.
The announcement follows Samsung's report that its foundry business recorded improved revenue and profit in the third quarter, supported by growth in HBM base die sales and broader sales of advanced nodes. The company added that orders from high-performance computing customers were concentrated on the 2-nanometer node. In results published on October 29, 2026, Samsung reported consolidated revenue of 195.3 trillion won and operating profit of 107.4 trillion won, and said quarterly memory revenue and profit reached record levels. The company also said it expects demand for its AI-related chips to accelerate through 2027 and exceed supply, and that it will focus on advanced memory and storage products used in AI servers. This context places the memory and storage products featured in the test configuration within Samsung's expansion in businesses tied to computing and AI.
AMD said the 128-core processor version will become available on November 15, 2026, with shipments of the other versions set to begin by year-end. This puts the availability of that version ahead of shipments of the remaining announced configurations. The announced information did not specify when Samsung would begin using the system in its test infrastructure. Samsung Electronics, listed under the ticker SMSN.L, closed at 3656 on November 10, while AMD closed at 515.21 on the same day. The closing figures came amid market trading on the processor announcement day; the available evidence included no documented performance figures for rival stocks.