AnandTech forum user Six Pie has spotted a previously unknown AMD codename, Gainsborough, in the Adrenalin 26.9.2 driver, and it may be the chip for Valve's Steam Deck 2. Import and export records show test equipment carrying the name was shipped to Asia several times in late July, and that it uses an FF6 BGA package with 1,179 contacts. AMD's partners who know about the Medusa APUs reportedly have no information on it, which would make sense for a custom part.
As for the Steam Deck 2 link, the name is the main clue. Valve's Steam Deck chips have used Final Fantasy VII codenames such as Aerith and Sephiroth before, and Gainsborough is Aerith's surname, as leaker Kepler_L2 pointed out. Separately, Moore's Law Is Dead claims it's a semi-custom APU built on TSMC N3P with Zen 6 and RDNA 5, possibly arriving in late 2027 or 2028, but none of that is confirmed.
Moreover, there are reasons to be cautious. Leakers have reportedly tied the same FF6 package to AMD's upcoming Ryzen Z3 handheld chips, so there's conflicting information about who the customer really is. An earlier report also claimed Valve would go with off-the-shelf AMD silicon, which doesn't align with a semi-custom design. For now, Gainsborough is little more than a speculative lead, and anything linking it to Steam Deck 2 should definitely be taken with a grain of salt.
Source: TechPowerUp News · Résumé par HeadlinesBriefing