AMD is trying to appeal to businesses with desktop processors optimized for AI applications, including Microsoft’s Copilot+. At Mobile World Congress, it introduced the Ryzen AI Pro 400 Series, which doesn’t just pack a CPU and a built-in GPU, but also a neural processing unit.
At CES in January, AMD introduced its next-generation XDNA 2 NPU, which excels at running AI applications at low power. But at the time, the NPU was reserved for the company’s consumer-focused Ryzen AI 400 series for laptops and mini PCs, which are slated to arrive this quarter.
At MWC, AMD is talking up Ryzen Pro silicon for enterprises. The chip maker is expanding the XDNA 2 NPU to desktops as Microsoft and other software companies push more generative AI applications in the workplace. In a briefing, AMD specifically noted that the new desktop processors can run Copilot+ features, which have been limited to chips with dedicated AI processing power.
It looks like the Ryzen AI Pro 400 Series will be the first desktop chips that can power Copilot+. The most powerful of the three chips, the Ryzen AI 7 Pro, features 8 CPU cores with an up to 5.1GHz in boost clock speeds along with 8 RDNA 3.5 GPU cores for graphics processing. Each chip also comes with a lower-power 35-watt variant, enabling PC makers to fit it into smaller desktop devices.
Ryzen AI Pro 400 Comes to Laptops, Too
For business laptops, AMD is introducing the Ryzen AI Pro 400 Series mobile processors, which also pack an XDNA 2 NPU and a built-in RDNA 3 GPU.
There are six chips in the series, with up to 12 CPU cores and a boost clock speed of up to 5.2GHz. According to AMD, the chips can deliver up to 19.8 hours of battery life. Team Red also claims the most powerful processor in the series, the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX Pro 470. can beat Intel’s “Panther Lake” Core Ultra X7 358H in processing speeds, including for AI workloads.
Like before, these AMD chips have also been optimized to run Microsoft Copilot+ features. AMD envisions using these processors to power next-generation AI PC laptops and more powerful mobile workstations.
The first PCs with the new Ryzen AI Pro 400 chips are expected in Q2. AMD says over 200 “commercial designs” are in the works from companies including Acer, Asus, Lenovo, HP, and Dell.
