A new class of computers are emerging, laptops (and someday desktops) running processors with integrated NPUs -- neural processing chips tuned for AI workloads. These PCs lean on new features in Windows 11 to unlock AI's real power. Or will, that is: We're only just at the dawn of the AI PC.
AMD was first to market with the Ryzen 7040, the first CPU to feature an NPU. Hawk Point, officially the 8040, is the company's current offering. Intel's flagship is called Meteor Lake, announced in Dec. 2023 -- but look for the next-gen Arrow Lake and Lunar Lake in 2024. And soon Qualcomm will power AI PCs thanks to its ARM-based Snapdragon X Elite and X Plus chips, which will launch in laptops in mid-2024 -- at Computex, perhaps?
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