AMD Brings AI to x86 with its Ryzen Pro 7000 Series Processors
- Paul Thurrott
- Jun 13, 2023
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Announced at CES, AMD’s new Ryzen Pro 7000 series processors are arriving in new PCs, and the mobile versions support onboard AI capabilities, a first for an x86 processor.
“52 percent of IT managers surveyed say they don’t have the proper technology infrastructure needed to handle AI workloads,” AMD senior director Matthew Unangst said. “The new Ryzen PRO 7040 Series pairs incredible performance and battery life to meet the needs of today’s workforce, while also offering a new dedicated AI engine on select models, to help meet the demands of the AI transformation.”
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The new AMD processors are interesting, of course, as they’re high-end PRO models aimed at both desktop PCs and laptops. But the new mobile chipset—the Ryzen PRO 7040 Series—is of particular interest because it’s the first x86 platform to incorporate what AMD calls an AI engine, or what Microsoft refers to as a Neural Processing Unit, or NPU.
The addition of the AMD AI engine means that new PCs based on this chipset, including the 14-inch HP EliteBook 845 G10 and Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 4, will be the first x86 PCs to support Microsoft’s Windows Studio Effects, AI-powered webcam capabilities. Obviously, this one capability isn’t enough to attract many customers, but with many more capabilities coming to Windows soon, most notably Windows Copilot, these AI chipsets will become not just desirable but necessary.
“Microsoft and AMD have worked closely to enable Ryzen AI in prominent Windows features like Windows Studio Effects,” Microsoft corporate vice president Pavan Davuluri added. “We truly believe that AI is going to reinvent how our customers do everything on Windows and the introduction of these Ryzen AI technology-enabled business laptops is the next step toward unlocking a superior experience.”
In addition to the Ryzen PRO 7040 Series, AMD also introduced a new family of desktop processors, the AMD Ryzen PRO 7000 Series, which targets both PCs and workstations. These processors offer up to 12 high-efficiency ZEN4 cores with up to 5.4 GHz boost frequency and RDNA 2 integrated graphics, and AMD says they provide up to a 48 percent increase in performance over their predecessors. These processors also support DDR5 memory, up to PCIe 5.0 storage, and WiFi 6E networking.