At CES 2025 on January 7, AMD unveiled a new series of notebook processors aimed at seizing opportunities in the AI PC era. AMD executives stated that Dell has decided to incorporate these processors into some of its commercial computers.
Dell's decision to use AMD processors in commercial PCs represents another setback for Intel. The commercial and gaming computer markets are typically high-margin sectors that require more expensive components. Previously, Dell had already integrated AMD processors into its consumer PCs.
According to Bloomberg, AMD, Intel, and potential competitor Qualcomm have all announced new notebook and desktop processors at this year's CES, each claiming their respective technologies provide optimal performance for AI workloads.
Chip manufacturers and computer makers believe that the PC market will revive as more tasks can be executed through AI. AMD claims that its new Ryzen AI Max Series processors will deliver top-tier performance for premium thin and light notebooks, running AI workloads up to 90% faster than the previous generation.
TechCrunch reported that the Ryzen AI Max is AMD's flagship offering for Copilot+ PCs, featuring 6 to 16 cores clocked at up to 5.1GHz, expected to launch in the first quarter of 2025. AMD claims that the Ryzen AI Max can achieve leading performance in 3D rendering and AI applications.
Additionally, AMD introduced the new Ryzen AI 300 series, claiming that all chip products within this series feature dedicated neural processing units (NPU) designed to accelerate certain AI workloads, supporting the next generation of Copilot+ PCs.
The Ryzen AI 300 Series chips are set to hit the market in the first quarter of 2025, equipped with 6 to 8 cores clocked at up to 5GHz, offering "24-plus-hour" of battery life under optimal conditions. AMD also debuted the Ryzen 200 Series chips targeting the more affordable PC market, which come with 6 to 8 cores clocked up to 5.2GHz, scheduled for release in the second quarter of 2025.
Furthermore, AMD unveiled the next-generation 9000 Series desktop processors, including the Ryzen 9 9950X3D and Ryzen 9 9900X3D, claiming that this will expand the company's leadership in this domain.
AMD noted that the Ryzen 9 9950X3D is a Zen 5 architecture 16-core processor clocked up to 5.7GHz, while the Ryzen 9 9900X3D features 12 cores clocked up to 5.5GHz. Both models are scheduled to ship in the first quarter of 2025.
Lastly, AMD released a new Fire Range chip series aimed at midrange notebooks and ultraportables, set to launch in the first half of 2025. This includes the Ryzen 9 9850HX, 9955HX, and 9955HX3D, providing 12 to 16 cores clocked between 5.2GHz and 5.4GHz. The Fire Range chips consume approximately 54W, less than half the power requirement of the 9950X3D, which demands 170W.