After receiving strong backlash from the community, AMD decided to reverse a previously controversial adjustment and announced that it would restore Transparent Secure Memory Encryption (TSME, Transparent Secure Memory Encryption) functionality to consumer Ryzen processors.
Previously, this feature was usually enabled by default on consumer Ryzen processors, but was quietly turned off in April this year through a new version of AGESA microcode (released with the motherboard firmware/UEFI update). The actual effect is to limit the actual use of TSME to high-end and enterprise product lines such as Ryzen PRO commercial processors, Ryzen Threadripper WX workstation processors, and EPYC server processors. For comparison, Intel also provides a similar full memory encryption function TME‑MK (Total Memory Encryption‑Multi‑Key) on consumer-grade Core processors, which is not limited to the business-oriented Core vPro model. This has also further amplified the negative perception of AMD's adjustment in the public opinion field.
AMD said that this decision was "based on valuable feedback from the community" and that the company will restore TSME related options for affected consumer Ryzen users through a new UEFI firmware update. It is expected that corresponding BIOS updates will be released by various motherboard manufacturers starting in July 2026. TSME is essentially a hardware-level security feature that transparently encrypts system memory contents through fixed function modules integrated in the chip, providing an additional layer of security protection for the platform. Since AMD shares the same IOD (I/O Die) design between consumer Ryzen and commercial Ryzen PRO products, this feature has always been "physically present" at the hardware level on consumer processors, but whether it can be enabled in the BIOS and how to configure the default policy has always been in the hands of AMD and motherboard manufacturers.
AMD reiterated its commitment to long-term support for Memory Guard (TSME) on the Ryzen PRO product line, saying that this technology is a "fundamental security feature" of the Ryzen PRO desktop and mobile platforms, and there are no plans to remove this support from the PRO series now or in the future. At the same time, AMD also responded positively for the first time to the controversy over the removal of relevant options on consumer Ryzen 9000 series desktop processors, saying that it had previously provided the option to turn on Memory Guard in the BIOS on some non-PRO Ryzen 9000 desktop processors, but this option had been removed in recent updates. Now the company will add this option back in the new BIOS released in July "based on valuable feedback from the community."
The controversy stems from a previous report by TechPowerUp, which pointed out that AMD "silently" removed TSME support on consumer Ryzen processors through the AGESA update, causing users and media to question its security strategy and product differentiation strategy. Criticisms focus on: At a time when data security risks are rising, cutting back on security features that already exist and have limited impact on performance runs counter to the industry's general trend of "strengthening terminal security protection." It also makes its own platform lag behind competitors who still open memory encryption on consumer products in terms of security specifications. Under the pressure of public opinion and users, AMD finally chose to roll back this decision, reopened the memory encryption switch for consumer-grade Ryzen processors, and left the specific implementation to the upcoming motherboard BIOS update.