AMD launches next-generation of AI laptop processors
AMD has unveiled its latest generation of Ryzen laptop processors, the Ryzen AI 300 Series, at the Computex 2024 event. Specifically engineered for generative AI workloads, the new Ryzen AI chips are made on AMD's latest architectures for integrated graphics, neural, and general processing: RDNA 3.5 for iGPU, XDNA2 for NPU, and Zen 5 for CPU. The first two processors in this lineup are the high-end Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 and the slightly less powerful Ryzen AI 9 365.
A deep dive into specifications
The top-tier Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 boasts a configuration of 12-core/24-thread, a maximum clock speed of 5.1GHz, a cache size of 36MB, and Radeon 890 million graphics. Its counterpart, the Ryzen AI 9 365 features a slightly less powerful setup with a configuration of 10-core/20-thread, a maximum clock speed of 5.0GHz, a cache size of 34MB and Radeon 880 million graphics. Both processors are equipped with an impressive NPU capacity of up to 50 TOPS (Tera Operations Per Second).
Ryzen AI 300 Series outperforms competitors in TOPS
AMD's new Ryzen AI series demonstrates superior performance in terms of TOPS, outpacing other NPU-configured chips currently available or soon to be released. For comparison, Qualcomm's Snapdragon X series offers 45TOPS, Apple's M4 provides 38TOPS, and AMD's own last-gen Ryzen 8040 series chips had just 16TOPS. Intel's Meteor Lake Ultra 7 165H also lags behind with approximately 10TOPS.
Enhanced compute capacity and efficiency
The new Ryzen AI series boasts five times higher compute capacity and twice the power efficiency than its predecessor, thanks to AMD's XDNA2 NPU integrated into the chipsets. The significant improvement is attributed to its unique FP16 "block" or NPU architecture that can process both 8-bit performance (INT8) and 16-bit accuracy (FP16) generative AI workloads without quantization. This allows for quick and accurate processing of AI workloads without any conversion.
Ryzen AI 300 Series availability in laptops
Starting from July 2024, the Ryzen AI 300 series will be featured in several Copilot+ PCs announced by Microsoft at its Surface event. These include models like ASUS Vivobook S15 and HP OmniBook. Other laptops set to incorporate the new AI processors are MSI's Stealth A16, Summit A16, Prestige A16, and Creator A16; ASUS' Zenbook S16, Vivobook S14 and 16, ProArt P16/X13; along with Rog Zephyrus G16 and TUF A14/A16 gaming laptops; plus ThinkBooks, ThinkPads, and Yogas from Lenovo.
