Zhaoxin Unleashes 96-Core KH-50000 Server CPU

Published on 03/10/2025

Zhaoxin has officially launched its most ambitious processor yet, the Kaisheng KH-50000 series, aiming to challenge Western dominance in the data center market. Revealed at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) 2025 and finalized in September, the new server chip packs up to 96 cores and a modern chiplet design, putting it on a more level playing field with processors from AMD and Intel.

The flagship KH-50000 represents a significant generational leap, tripling the maximum core count over its predecessor, the KH-40000. The top-tier chip features 96 cores and a base clock speed of 2.2 GHz, boosting up to 3.0 GHz. This places it in direct competition with AMD's 96-core EPYC 9004 series ("Genoa"). While it is not yet confirmed if the KH-50000 supports simultaneous multithreading (SMT), as was the case with the KH-40000, its raw core count alone marks a major milestone for China's semiconductor industry.

Beyond the raw core count, the KH-50000 brings a range of modern, high-performance features essential for demanding server applications:

Chiplet architecture: The processor uses a modular design similar to AMD's EPYC chips, with 12 compute chiplets arranged around a massive central I/O die.

Memory support: The new chips support 12-channel DDR5-5200 ECC memory, a substantial upgrade from the KH-40000's 8-channel DDR4.

Expanded cache: The L3 cache has been massively expanded to 384 MB on the top SKU, a six-fold increase over the previous generation and identical in size to AMD's Genoa.

Next-gen I/O: Connectivity has been brought up to modern standards with 128 lanes of PCIe 5.0 and support for Compute Express Link (CXL). An additional 16 lanes of PCIe 4.0 are also included.

Multi-socket scalability: With the Zhaoxin Processor Interconnect (ZPI) 5.0, the KH-50000 is scalable in dual- and quad-socket systems, enabling configurations with up to 384 cores.

Zhaoxin has made it clear that the KH-50000 is a crucial part of China's drive for technological independence. The chip is being rolled out first to domestic server and enterprise vendors, providing a homegrown alternative to Western-supplied chips. The new CPU is compatible with the existing x86 software stack, simplifying migration for Chinese customers. The design also incorporates China's national cryptographic standards (SM2, SM3, and SM4) and includes secure boot and hardware key management, bolstering its appeal for sensitive government and enterprise use cases.

The launch of the KH-50000 server CPU was presented alongside the KaiXian KX-7000N, a new client-side processor designed for "AI PCs". The KX-7000N is Zhaoxin's first chip to integrate a dedicated Neural Processing Unit (NPU), a feature that has become common in the latest CPUs from market leaders.

The simultaneous release of these new parts highlights Zhaoxin's strategy to address both the server and consumer markets with AI-accelerated silicon. While benchmark comparisons against the latest offerings from AMD and Intel are still pending, the KH-50000's specifications show that Chinese chip design is closing the technology gap at a remarkable pace.

Sources:

https://www.guru3d.com/story/china-zhaoxin-kh50000-server-processor-features-96-cores-ddr5-pcie-50/#:~:text=Zhaoxin%2C%20one%20of%20China's%20key,a%20priority%20in%20this%20design.

https://www.techpowerup.com/341487/zhaoxin-kh-50000-cpu-family-brings-96-cores-ddr5-and-zpi-5-0#:~:text=Chinese%20company%20Zhaoxin%20has%20announced,legacy%20SATA%20and%20USB%20links.

https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/cpus/chinas-96-core-cpu-taps-chiplet-design-to-rival-amds-epyc-up-to-384-cores-on-a-single-motherboard-but-no-word-yet-on-tdp

https://www.notebookcheck.net/Zhaoxin-unveils-first-NPU-equipped-CPU-and-96-core-server-chip-at-WAIC-2025.1074170.0.html#:~:text=few%20display%20options-,Zhaoxin%20unveils%20first%20NPU%2Dequipped%20CPU%20and%2096%2Dcore%20server,to%20accelerate%20on%2Ddevice%20inference.

https://www.techpowerup.com/339426/chinese-cpu-maker-zhaoxin-targets-amd-epyc-with-96-core-kh-50000-and-debuts-ai-ready-kx-7000n-processor-series#:~:text=Chinese%20fabless%20CPU%20maker%20Zhaoxin,into%20AI%2Dcapable%20consumer%20processors.