AMD released official performance data for its flagship sixth-generation EPYC 9996 processor in a white paper published on September 17. The new server CPU, part of the Venice architecture, features 256 cores and 512 threads, targeting cloud computing, virtualization, enterprise databases, and AI infrastructure.
In SPECrate 2026_int_base throughput testing, the 256-core EPYC 9996 outperformed the 128-core Intel Xeon 6980P by a factor of 2.37. Compared to the 88-core Nvidia Vera processor, the AMD chip achieved a performance lead of 2.24 times in the same benchmark.
The company reported a 73% increase in throughput performance for the 256-core Venice flagship compared to the previous generation 192-core EPYC 9965. Additionally, in STREAM Triad memory bandwidth tests, a platform equipped with a 96-core EPYC 9006 chip proved 18% faster than the 88-core Nvidia Vera system.
