AMD has unveiled its latest Ryzen Pro enterprise-focused processors, promising significant performance gains, but they are still unlikely to meet the performance threshold to be designated AI PCs by Microsoft.
The chip giant introduced its Ryzen Pro 8000 series desktop processors and Pro 8040 series mobile processors, both designed for enterprise devices and specialized for an anticipated AI PC explosion in the commercial sector.
However, the AI processing power of these chips appears to fall short of the 40 trillion operations per second (TOPS) standard Microsoft is rumored to have settled on for the NPUs in the next generation of AI PCs capable of running AI workloads locally.
Although Microsoft has not confirmed this standard publicly, the threshold was referenced in a report from market research firm TrendForce in January 2024, as well as by senior Intel executives at its AI summit in Taiwan in March 2024.
This could represent a major setback for AMD, significantly delaying its ability to rollout AI PC-ready hardware and capture the market, expected to boom in 2025.
The chip manufacturer may have to wait until its next generation of Strix Point processors, rumored to be coming later in 2024, before it can start to make headway in the AI PC market.
Improved on-device performance, but still not enough for true AI PC status
The 8000 series chips are AMD’s first AI-enabled desktop processors built for business users, with selected models featuring dedicated NPU AI acceleration engines for improved on-device AI performance.
Intel’s flagship Meteor Lake processors ‘ NPUs have 10 dedicated TOPS, and up to 34 total system TOPS, indicating both chip titans will need another generation of processors to get over the line.
As a result, the rollout of AI PCs could be delayed as chip manufacturers rush to improve their NPU performance and meet Microsoft’s requirements for the AI PC label.
It is expected that both will achieve this with their next-generation of processors, Strix Point and Lunar Lake.