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AMD Debuts Helion Reference Design for Agentic AI Servers with up to 32,768 Zen 6 Cores
Key points
- Helion is a 21-inch rack reference design for data centers.
- Supports up to 32,768 Zen 6 cores with 128 EPYC 9996 CPUs.
- Compliant with OCP ORv4 and DC-MHS standards.
- OEMs and ODMs will bring the design to market, shipping November 2026.
AMD Introduces Helion Rack Design
AMD has unveiled Helion, a new reference rack-scale design for data centers. This standardized 21-inch rack design complements the previously revealed Helios rack. Helion is designed to support CPU-only deployments, capable of housing up to 32,768 Zen 6 cores when configured with 128 EPYC 'Venice' 9996 CPUs, each featuring 256 cores.
Standardization and Specifications
The Helion rack design adheres to the Open Compute Project’s (OCP) ORv4 specification, which defines a rack slightly wider and taller than standard IT racks. It supports 44 OpenU trays, each measuring 21 inches wide and 48mm tall. The design also complies with OCP’s DC-MHS (Data Center Modular Hardware System) standard, which promotes interoperability across data center, edge, and enterprise infrastructure. Helion supports both air-cooled and direct liquid-cooled deployments.
Market Availability and Partners
AMD will not directly sell the Helion racks; instead, it is contributing this reference design to OCP. Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and Original Design Manufacturers (ODMs) will be responsible for bringing products based on the Helion design to market. AMD expects initial shipments of Helion-based systems to begin in November 2026. Partner announcements are anticipated from AMD CEO Lisa Su at the OCP Global Summit.
Focus and Core Count
Unlike the Helios rack, which is optimized for AI training and inference, Helion is a more flexible solution primarily focused on CPU capabilities. Its ability to integrate 128 EPYC 9996 CPUs in a single rack provides a high core density, reaching 32,768 cores per rack in a CPU-only configuration. This makes it suitable for workloads requiring significant CPU processing power, such as agentic AI servers.
✨ This summary was generated by AI from the outlets' reporting listed below. It is not independently verified and may contain errors — check the original sources. How BrevFeed works →
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Reporting from
AMD introduced Helion, a new rack-scale reference design for data centers, compliant with Open Compute Project (OCP) ORv4 and DC-MHS standards. This CPU-focused design can house up to 32,768 Zen 6 cores using 128 EPYC 'Venice' 9996 CPUs, offering a flexible solution for agentic AI servers. The design will be brought to market by OEMs and ODMs, with initial shipments expected in November 2026.