PS5’s main chip is reportedly entering the final stage of manufacturing

PlayStation 5’s main SoC (System on a chip) is reportedly approaching the final stages of its manufacturing process.

That’s according to sources within the semiconductor supply chain cited by Digitimes, who claim that PS5’s main AMD CPU chip will enter testing next week, and start to be delivered to downstream manufacturers thereafter.

PS5 will feature a custom eight-core AMD Zen 2 CPU said to be capable of speeds of up to 3.5ghz.

However, these on-paper numbers do not tell the full story, as PS5 utilises variable frequencies – referred to as ‘boost’ – which theoretically allow the console to hit GPU frequencies far higher than expected.

Digitimes said it expects production to peak by August, which would put PS5 on track for its planned launch later this year.

Given the risk of leaks from the manufacturing sector, it’s likely Sony will opt to showcase the final PlayStation 5 hardware design in its upcoming reveal stream, which was originally planned for this week but delayed in support of US anti-racism protests.

Sony Interactive Entertainment has reiterated its intention to release PlayStation 5 this year, despite significant earlier disruption to manufacturing chains due to the coronavirus.

Rival Xbox has also committed to a 2020 launch for its Xbox Series X and said that software was more likely to be affected by the COVID-19 pandemic than its hardware plans.

According to a Bloomberg report in mid-April, Sony planned to produce “far fewer” PlayStation 5 launch units compared to PS4, due to an expected hit on demand caused by the console’s high price.

The publication had previously claimed Sony was struggling to determine the PlayStation 5 price due to a shortage of components which have resulted in increased manufacturing costs.

PlayStation boss Jim Ryan said last week that PS5 was aiming for the best value, but not necessarily the lowest price.