Zhaoxin, the Shanghai-based fabless semiconductor producer, has announced two next-generation central processing units at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference 2025, aiming to shake up both the server and consumer computing landscapes. The Kaisheng KH-50000 is at the forefront of Zhaoxin’s enterprise ambitions, bringing a remarkable leap: 96 cores, tripling the count of the previous KH-40000 series. This dramatic upgrade directly challenges AMD’s EPYC 9004 Genoa lineup, mirroring its multi-core muscle for dense data center applications. The KH-50000 operates between 2.2 GHz and 3.0 GHz, but Zhaoxin has withheld confirmation on simultaneous multithreading support. Key architectural enhancements include a 384 MB L3 cache—six times the prior generation—12-channel DDR5 ECC memory compatibility, and 128 PCI Express 5.0 lanes augmented with Compute Express Link interconnects for high-throughput, low-latency data transfers.
Multi-socket deployment is enabled through ZPI 5.0, paving the way for server setups with 2 or 4 processors, which theoretically allows packing up to 384 total cores in a single system. While the KH-40000 family is based on Zhaoxin’s own Yongfeng architecture, the suite of performance improvements in the KH-50000 points toward an as-yet-undisclosed, next-generation core design. This signals Zhaoxin’s growing confidence in developing chips competitive on a global stage, particularly as demand mounts for domestic alternatives to foreign server hardware in China’s public and private sectors.
On the consumer side, the KaiXian KX-7000N marks Zhaoxin’s first foray into Artificial Intelligence-capable desktop CPUs. Built on the KX-7000 foundation—which previously maxed out at eight cores—the KX-7000N integrates a neural processing unit designed to support on-chip Artificial Intelligence workloads. This processor also moves up to PCI Express 5.0 from its predecessor’s PCIe 4.0, embracing faster interconnects for new era peripherals and storage. Although Zhaoxin did not reveal the exact core count, live demonstrations of AI-powered PC systems at the conference underscore its push to compete in the growing domestic and global Artificial Intelligence hardware market. However, detailed specifications and market availability timelines remain scarce for now, leaving technology analysts eager for more information as Zhaoxin sharpens its competitive edge against foreign chipmakers.
