Renowned hardware leaker Kepler_L2 has confirmed the core configuration of AMD’s upcoming AT2 gaming GPU which is expected to arrive at the end of 2027. When asked about the veracity of circulating specs, the leaker reaffirmed that the RDNA 5-powered AT2 GPU will indeed pack 70 compute units (CUs).
Following talk about the release date of next-gen Radeon GPUs, where Kepler_L2 indicated that RDNA 5 will debut in 2027 exclusively with the AT2 chip, the leaker responded to a user’s question regarding its rumoured specs on the Anandtech forums. According to Kepler_L2, reports of 70 CU configurations for AT2 are accurate, unless recent design changes have been made. This is an important confirmation, as it hints at the performance we can expect from upcoming Radeon graphics cards.
For reference, current RDNA 4 GPUs max out at 64 CUs on the flagship RX 9070 XT. So, bumping that number to 70 CUs should alone deliver a ~9% performance uplift before factoring in architectural improvements from RDNA 5. Previous rumours claimed that the latter could also boast a higher GPU frequency of 3.1 to 3.4GHz, which should further improve performance.
Add in AMD’s probably use of GDDR7 memory, which provides more bandwidth at the same bus width than the RX 9070 XT’s GDDR6, and this next-gen Radeon GPU is starting to look bright.
Note that while the focus of this leak is the AT2 chip, this is neither the only nor the biggest design AMD is rumoured to be planning with RDNA 5. Kepler_L2 has previously released diagrams of a much larger GPU, believed to be the AT0. Better yet, RDNA 5 CUs are also rumoured to house twice as many SMs (stream processors) as RDNA 4, meaning this AT0 chip would carry three times as many SMs as the RX 9070 XT.
Assuming that diagram is accurate, AT0 would be the real flagship, packing 96 CUs alongside a 512-bit bus. If this beast ever powers a gaming GPU, AMD’s next-gen GPUs may be able to fight Nvidia at the high end, unlike its current generation.
Going back to the AT2, AMD could deliver a strong mid-range GPU to replace the RX 9070 XT, perhaps featuring more VRAM, if memory shortages allow it at that point. RDNA 5 will probably also offer improved ray tracing and AI performance, not to forget the rumoured DLSS 5-like Neural Lighting and FSR Diamond upscaling.
Considering that RDNA 5 is expected to power Microsoft’s Xbox Helix console, AMD may take advantage of technologies developed in collaboration with Microsoft to enhance its PC offering. And if Microsoft’s Jason Ronald’s claim of an order of magnitude increase in ray tracing performance is accurate, path tracing could also become a thing for AMD.
