AMD unveils Pro versions of its latest laptop and desktop chips. Thanks to an integrated NPU, AI is central to both CPUs.

AMD launches Ryzen Pro 8040 and Ryzen Pro 8000. The 8040 chips are intended to power laptops and mobile workstations, while the 8000 series is designed specifically for the desktop. The Pro label means the same thing in both cases: AMD equips the chips with additional management and security functions that are particularly interesting for larger companies. AMD points out that its Pro offering includes the same features across all chips, unlike Intel, which markets different vPro variants.

In addition, the Pro processors support Microsoft Pluton. The new chips open the door for manufacturers like HP and Lenovo to launch AMD laptops and desktops for the enterprise market. The launch isn’t entirely surprising, as the chips will power previously announced HP laptops, among other things.

AI and NPU

The chip discussion today is dominated by AI hype and AMD is once again joining the story. Both new CPU families therefore have AI capabilities. This means that the processors are available with an NPU accelerator that can accelerate AI workloads even more specifically than the GPU.

This NPU is not a big powerhouse and delivers 16 TOPS of processing power. The entire chips move a maximum of 39 TOPS, just not enough to meet the minimum requirements for Microsoft’s “AI PC”. AMD does point out that its NPU is more powerful than Intel’s (16 vs. 11 TOPS) and that the overall AI computing power of its chips is also a handful of TOPS higher than its competitor’s (39 vs. 34).

“Better than Intel”

Aside from AI workloads, AMD is showing off several of its own benchmarks that show its new 15-watt Ryzen 7 Pro 8840U is more powerful than a 28-watt Intel Core Ultra 7 165H. These are nice claims that we’ll hopefully be able to put into practice soon, especially since AMD also claims that the battery life of laptops with an AMD chip is better than comparable systems with Core Ultra (at 15 watts) and even the Apple M3. AMD also states that its chips perform better overall when it comes to desktop chips.

All new chips are based on the Zen 4 architecture and baked on TSMC’s 4nm product tape. Models with wireless connectivity are compatible with the new Wifi 7 standard and Bluetooth 5.4.

For the laptop

On the mobile side, AMD is launching eight new Ryzen Pro 8040 series chips, spread across Ryzen 9, Ryzen 7 and Ryzen 5. We see both “HS” variants for workstations with configurable TDPs up to 54 watts and ” U” chips with a TDP of at least 15 watts, ideal for slim Ultrabooks. All CPUs except the entry-level component are equipped with an NPU.

For the desktop

We also see eight new processors for the desktop, divided into the Ryzen 7, Ryzen 5 and Ryzen 3 families. Half have an NPU on board, the other half don’t. All chips are G variants, meaning they have an integrated GPU. Just like the non-Pro version, it is suitable for productivity and occasional gaming and is primarily intended to replace entry-level GPUs.

With the new chips, which are aimed at business users in an enterprise context, AMD wants to show that it is still one step ahead of Intel. According to the manufacturer’s own statement, this applies in all areas: AI performance, pure CPU performance and efficiency. We are looking forward to a comparison of equivalent devices in practice.