Despite AMD's assertion that the Arm ISA doesn't provide any inherent efficiency advantage and that power savings are primarily dependent on the package and design, it seems AMD is developing an Arm-based SoC codenamed "Sound Wave." Recent shipping manifests, noted by X user @Olrak29_, indicate that the Sound Wave APU has resurfaced after a period of silence. It comes in a BGA 1074 package, featuring 1074 pins, and is intended for embedded systems without a removable socket. Measuring 32 × 27 mm, its compact size is suitable for mobile designs like handhelds and laptops. It utilizes the FF5 socket, replacing the FF3 used in Valve's Steam Deck SoC, and has a 0.8 mm pitch.

As an Arm design, it's likely to incorporate a big.LITTLE architecture, with some models featuring two larger P-Cores and four smaller E-Cores. This configuration would result in a six-core SoC paired with RDNA 3.5, with up to four CUs in the top model. This computing power is designed to operate within a 10 W TDP power envelope, meeting the demand for extended gaming sessions on battery power alone. There will likely be options to adjust the TDP for specific customers, allowing for higher or lower configurations based on their needs. The market this SoC will compete in is still unknown, but the competition with Arm-based solutions is heating up as Qualcomm and NVIDIA ready next-generation designs. Estimating the time of launch and pricing point for this APU is impossible, as we have little details on when and how AMD plans to implement this in third-party designs.