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?
The Heart of the AI PC
Chips from AMD, Intel, and Qualcomm will power this next generation of AI PCs. Here's a deep dive into these cutting edge CPUs.
Hawk Point: The first Ryzen 8000 chips feature the same 5nm Zen 4 cores, RDNA 3 graphics, and XDNA AI engine as the existing 7040 “Phoenix” processors.
Meteor Lake: Intel's newest offer 3D packaging, Intel's largest architectural shift in 40 years, and a slew of TSMC chiplets on the N5 and N6 processes.
Snapdragon X Series: Qualcomm's hotly anticipated Arm based chips will launch in laptops in mid-2024 and promise blistering AI speed.
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