AMD is expanding its processor portfolio with the new Ryzen 8000 Series, the first AMD desktop processor to feature a dedicated Neural Processing Unit (NPU).
The AMD Ryzen 8000G series of desktop processors, including the flagship model Ryzen 7 8700G, will feature Ryzen AI. This is an XDNA-based "neural processing unit (NPU)" that AMD says is "uniquely able to accelerate AI software capabilities in your PC to optimize AI workloads, improve AI processing efficiencies, and unlock exciting experiences like AI-powered noise cancellation."
The new processors are expected to be available at the end of January. Devices with integrated next-generation AMD processors are expected to be available in the second quarter of 2024.
| Model | Cores/threads | Boost6 / Base Frequency | Total Cache | TDP | NPU | SEP | |
| AMD Ryzen™ 7 8700G | 8C/16T | Up to 5.1GHz / 4.2GHz | 24MB | 65W | Yes | $329 | |
| AMD Ryzen™ 5 8600G | 6C/12T | Up to 5.0GHz / 4.3GHz | 22MB | 65W | Yes | $229 | |
| AMD Ryzen™ 5 8500G | 6C/12T | Up to 5.0GHz / 3.5GHz | 22MB | 65W | N/A | $179 | |
| AMD Ryzen™ 3 8300G | 4C/8T | Up to 4.9GHz / 3.4GHz | 12MB | 65W | N/A | N/A | |
In addition, AMD's OEM partners, including ACER, ASUS, Lenovo, HP, and Razer, are introducing additional AMD Ryzen 8040 Series laptops with the Ryzen AI NPU integrated into select models. These AI-enabled laptops are designed to provide consumers with enhanced gaming experiences, content creation, and everyday productivity benefits, AMD said.
AMD also announced new processors for the Ryzen 5000 series based on the Zen 3 architecture, including the Ryzen 7 5700X3D with AMD 3D V-Cache technology for improved gaming performance. Those will also be available in late January.
| Model | Cores/Threads | Boost6 / Base Frequency | Total Cache | TDP | NPU | SEP | |
| AMD Ryzen™ 7 5700X3D | 8C/16T | Up to 4.1GHz / 3.0GHz | 100MB | 105W | N/A | $249 | |
| AMD Ryzen™ 7 5700 | 8C/16T | Up to 4.6GHz / 3.7GHz | 20MB | 65W | N/A | $175 | |
| AMD Ryzen™ 5 5600GT | 6C/12T | Up to 4.6GHz / 3.6GHz | 19MB | 65W | N/A | $140 | |
| AMD Ryzen™ 5 5500GT | 6C/12T | Up to 4.4GHz / 3.6GHz | 19MB | 65W | N/A | $125 | |
PC and hardware makers focus on AI
In the run-up to CES 2024, Microsoft announced the "era of the AI PC" and, together with AMD, Intel, and Qualcomm, plans to launch the first AI-focused devices in February. We will have to wait and see what exactly is behind this promise and how big the performance gains for AI-specific applications are through dedicated AI hardware.
One concrete new feature is a Copilot key for Windows PC keyboards. Copilot is the brand name for several chatbot assistants from Microsoft that are based on OpenAI technology and that Microsoft is integrating into more and more Windows applications.
Dedicated AI hardware in the consumer market is nothing new, with Nvidia offering its AI Tensor computing units on its RTX graphics card series since summer 2018. Tensor units are designed to perform AI-relevant matrix multiplications more efficiently than regular processors.
According to the company, the AI cores enable Nvidia graphics cards to master special graphics functions such as Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS), which Nvidia says efficiently executes a pre-trained neural network on the tensor cores.
