AMD is preparing its next-generation Ryzen 500 series APUs under the Medusa codename, with two main variants called Medusa Point and Medusa Halo. Compiler patches indicate that Medusa Point will use a new RDNA 4m graphics architecture, which is described as a variant of RDNA 4 likely optimized for mobile devices such as laptops and mini PCs. Medusa Point is also expected to introduce a desktop exclusive implementation of RDNA 4 with this RDNA 4m variant, while Medusa Halo is slated to move to AMD’s next-generation RDNA 5 / UDNA GPU microarchitecture for higher end configurations.
The graphics subsystem of Medusa Point is linked to a GPU identified as GFX1170, which is associated with the GFX11 generation, also known as RDNA 3. Instruction set extensions such as WMMA and SWMMAC instructions indicate support in the new GFX1170 GPU and suggest a design that builds on an upgraded RDNA 3 base with many RDNA 4 modules. In this configuration, the upgraded RDNA 3 with many RDNA 4 modules is believed to enable FSR 4 support even on the less powerful Medusa Point APU, potentially extending advanced upscaling capabilities to more mainstream systems.
On the CPU side, AMD is targeting Zen 6 cores across both Medusa variants. Medusa Point is expected to use a mix of Zen 6 and Zen 6c CPU cores, following a similar differentiation strategy seen in current generation APUs, while Medusa Halo is planned to feature a uniform Zen 6 core cluster aimed at maximum CPU performance. The platform is also set to adopt LPDDR6 memory, and the platform will adopt LPDDR6 memory, which will increase the memory bandwidth by 50% over the standard LPDDR5X memory we see implemented today, signaling a substantial boost in bandwidth for integrated graphics and overall system responsiveness.
