AMD Zen Octa-core release date, latest news: Will the Zen CPU preview in December mark the beginning of a CPU war?

Multinational semiconductor company AMD has targeted an early 2017 release date for its newest Zen core architecture chipset. In an effort to promote their new innovation, the company has announced an advanced preview of the "Zen" CPU.

The "New Horizon" preview event organized by AMD will be hosted by well-known video game journalist Geoff Keighley. It will be streamed at 1 p.m. PST on Dec. 13. Those who are interested in watching the live stream of the event can sign up for a slot.

"Watch New Horizon, hosted by Geoff Keighley, for an exclusive advance preview of our new 'Zen' CPU ahead of its 2017 Q1 launch," AMD said on the public invite posted on their website. "See eSports & Evil Geniuses legend PPD put 'Zen' through its paces. There'll be appearances from special guests and giveaways," it went on to say.

"This is the first time the public will be able to try and see its capabilities," AMD mentioned on the invite and added, "If you're serious about game, this is an event you do not want to miss."

According to some reports, AMD will be launching four Zen-based CPUs in the "Summit Ridge" family in early 2017. The top end may include two Zen octa-core chips with a simultaneous multi-threading design. AMD may also unveil the SR5 with six cores and a quad-core SR3.

Rumors have also circulated about how competitively priced the Zen-based CPUs will be. Should AMD confirm them to be true once the products are unveiled early next year, the highest-end 8-core will be priced at $500, while a slower 8-core chip could be worth $350. A 6-core SR5 could be purchased for $250, and a quad-core SR3 could be obtained for $150.

Depending on the actual performance of the Zen core architecture and if the rumored prices of the chips are indeed true, AMD will be waging an intense CPU war that tech enthusiasts have not seen in quite a while.