The company is evaluating several strategies to mitigate the ongoing impact of the memory supply crisis.
During CES 2026 in Las Vegas, David McAfee, AMD’s Corporate VP of Product Management, revealed that the firm is investigating the possibility of resuming production for Zen 3-based desktop processors on the venerable AM4 platform. This disclosure occurred during a briefing with Tom’s Hardware, arriving shortly after NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang hinted at a similar approach regarding the potential return of legacy GPUs bolstered by modern technologies.
According to McAfee, AMD is “actively exploring the feasibility of reintroducing certain products into the AM4 ecosystem to satisfy demand from gamers looking to upgrade their hardware without the burden of building an entirely new system from scratch.” Industry observers suggest this most likely refers to additional production runs of Ryzen 5000 series CPUs and G-series APUs powered by the Zen 3 architecture.
Market data underscores the logic behind such a move. Telemetry from AMD’s Adrenalin software indicates that a significant percentage of enthusiasts are still utilizing Ryzen 2000 and 3000 series chips. Retailers are also reporting a spike in sales for previous-generation hardware, as many users prefer to swap out only their processor to avoid the steep costs associated with transitioning to DDR5 memory and the AM5 motherboard platform.
While McAfee noted that his remarks do not serve as a formal product announcement, he did confirm that the initiative is “currently under active development.” If the plan proceeds, AMD may release limited batches of refreshed Zen 3 chips to alleviate market pressure and provide a lifeline to the budget-conscious consumer segment.
In the meantime, the memory market continues to experience significant volatility. The rising cost of DDR5, fueled by persistent shortages, has become a primary driver of increased PC build costs. While DDR4 prices are also trending upward, manufacturers are attempting to stabilize the sector: Samsung has scrapped its planned production cuts, and SK hynix has ramped up output at its Wuxi plant. Analysts, however, remain skeptical that these measures will be sufficient to prevent DDR5 prices from climbing further through 2026.
Source: iXBT.games