With AI an unstoppable force, it’s a feature that is available on the newest business and consumer laptops and desktops, with AMD leading the pack in offering the most advanced AI-turbocharged x86 chips for Windows computers on the market.
Founded way back in 1969, in Silicon Valley, AMD makes chips for everyday computers, workstations and servers used in businesses and data centres, for the Microsoft Xbox and Sony Playstation games consoles, graphics cards, and now dedicated AI chips, not only to compete with those from NVIDIA, to power Gen AI, but also built into a range of the Ryzen chips that consumers and businesses buy in their desktops and laptops.
Details of the Ryzen Pro 8000 for business desktops is here, and details of the Ryzen Pro 8040 series for mobile business laptops and workstations is here.
Now there are plenty more details below, but first, a little history. AMD introduced its first AI-capable Ryzen processor, the Ryzen 7040 series, back in January 2023, and by October 2023, laptops with these processors were in the market for consumers and businesses to upgrade to.
I video interviewed Matthew Unangst, AMD’s Sr Director of Commercial Client and Workstation about it at the time in an article you can read, titled: “VIDEO INTERVIEW: AMD intelligently advances AI with first Ryzen x86 processors to include aptly adroit AI advantages – now available!”.
AMD was able to beat Intel to market with processors featuring an NPU or “Neural Processing Unit”, the new AI brains within CPUs, and while Intel is only now offering AI-enhanced CPUs with its Intel Core Ultra line, AMD is now offering a range of 8000 and 8000 PRO-series CPUs with a more advanced NPU or “AI Brain” within.
If you look online, there are videos examining the differences between the 7000 and 8000 series AMD processors. These videos, which can be easily found, explain that the main processing and graphics capabilities between the 7000 and 8000 series aren’t as dramatic as a change from the initial number 7 to the initial number would suggest, as this number denotes the year the processor was launched.
That said, there actually are performance improvements between the two generations, but it is in the NPU or AI-brain side of things that we do see a bigger boost, and that is what matters most, especially when AMD’s processors already offer great performance and lower power consumption compared with Intel’s processors.
Now, after the 8000 series processors were previewed last year, they are now available, in both the 8000 and 8000 PRO configurations in its commercial mobile and desktop AI PC portfolio. Naturally, AMD says these chips deliver exceptional productivity and premium AI and connectivity experiences to business users.
The new AMD Ryzen PRO 8040 Series are the most advanced x86 processors built for business laptops and mobile workstations.
In addition, AMD also announced the AMD Ryzen PRO 8000 Series desktop processor, which it describes as “the first AI enabled desktop processor for business users, engineered to deliver cutting-edge performance with low power consumption.”
Here’s a short video from AMD that covers the benefits of AI in its processors for its business users:
If you buy a desktop or mobile computer with an AMD Ryzen AI built into select models, AMD is further extending its AI PC leadership with these new models.
By leveraging the CPU, GPU, and dedicated on-chip neural processing unit (NPU), new Ryzen AI-powered processors provide more dedicated AI processing power than previous generations, with up to 16 dedicated NPU TOPS (Trillions of Operations Per Second) and up to 39 total system TOPS – a genuine improvement over the 7040-series, which 10 NPU TOPS and a total of 33 total system TOPS.
AMD says “commercial PCs equipped with new Ryzen AI-enabled processors will help transform user experience, offering next-gen performance for AI-enabled collaboration, content creation, and data and analytics workloads.
“With the addition of AMD PRO technologies, IT managers can unlock enterprise-grade manageability features to simplify IT operations and complete PC deployment faster across the organisation, built-in security features for chip-to-cloud defence from sophisticated attacks, as well as unprecedented stability, reliability and platform longevity for enterprise software.”
Jack Huynh, senior vice president and general manager, Computing and Graphics Group at AMD said: “AMD delivers the broadest portfolio of AI technologies to address the needs of the modern business. As we continue to expand our AI PC leadership, we are bringing more power and efficiency to a wide array of desktops and mobile PCs
“Our latest PRO series processors set a new standard for premium computing experiences and help businesses deploy AI capabilities across their PCs with leadership performance and security,” Huyhn concluded.
So, what else does AMD say about its new desktop and mobile processors for business users?
AMD Ryzen PRO 8040 Series Mobile Processors Power High-Performing Professional Laptops and Mobile Workstations
As enterprise customers seek to deploy AI across their PC fleets, AMD Ryzen PRO 8040 Series mobile processors offer highly efficient and uncompromising processing performance for the most intensive business and AI workloads. These processors boast up to eight high-performance cores, advanced 4nm technology, and “Zen 4” architecture offering up to a combined 30% greater performance for the most demanding mobile workstation applications. With AMD Ryzen AI on select models and powerful AMD RDNA 3 graphics integrated on the chip, this latest series delivers the up to 72% faster performance and 84% less power for video conferencing with or without AI experiences enabled vs. the Intel Core Ultra 7 165U. Additionally, PCs powered by the Ryzen PRO 8040 Series processor will be among the first to incorporate WiFi-7 technology, offering cutting-edge connectivity and setting a new industry standard.
At the top of the stack is the AMD Ryzen 9 PRO 8945HS, equipped with eight cores, 16 threads, 24MB of cache, and Radeon 780M graphics. Designed with heavy processing power for resource-intensive applications, in technical computing, multimedia content creation, and discrete graphics, these processors can take on graphically demanding workloads like 3D rendering, video encoding and photo editing.
The new Ryzen PRO 8040 Series mobile processors are expected to be available from OEM partners including HP and Lenovo starting in Q2, 2024. More details here.
| Model | Cores/Threads | Boost9 / Base Frequency | Total Cache | cTDP | Ryzen™ AI |
| AMD Ryzen™ 9 PRO 8945HS | 8C/16T | Up to 5.2GHz/ 4GHz | 24MB | 35-54W | Available |
| AMD Ryzen™ 7 PRO 8845HS | 8C/16T | Up to 5.1GHz/ 3.8GHz | 24MB | 35-54W | Available |
| AMD Ryzen™ 7 PRO 8840HS | 8C/16T | Up to 5.1GHz/ 3.3GHz | 24MB | 20-28W | Available |
| AMD Ryzen™ 7 PRO 8840U | 8C/16T | Up to 5.1GHz/ 3.3GHz | 24MB | 15-28W | Available |
| AMD Ryzen™ 5 PRO 8645HS | 6C/12T | Up to 5.0GHz/ 4.3GHz | 22MB | 35-54W | Available |
| AMD Ryzen™ 5 PRO 8640HS | 6C/12T | Up to 4.9GHz/ 3.5GHz | 22MB | 20-28W | Available |
| AMD Ryzen™ 5 PRO 8640U | 6C/12T | Up to 4.9GHz/ 3.5GHz | 22MB | 15-28W | Available |
| AMD Ryzen™ 5 PRO 8540U | 6C/12T | Up to 4.9GHz/ 3.2GHz | 22MB | 15-28W | N/A |
AMD Ryzen PRO 8000 Series Business Desktop Processors are the World’s First AI Enabled Desktop Processor
For business professionals on desktops, AMD Ryzen PRO 8000 Series processors feature the first dedicated AI engine on select desktop processors to power immersive AI experiences with incredible power and efficiency. With up to eight high-performance “Zen 4” cores on a leading 4nm process, the Ryzen PRO 8000 series set a new standard for speed and power efficiency in daily business operations. Business desktops powered by AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8700G processors provide up to 47% uplift in performance and 3x better graphics performance in select tests compared to Intel Core i7 14700 processor.
Desktops equipped with AMD Ryzen PRO 8000 Series processors support DDR5 and PCIe 4 for lightning-fast data transfer, smoother workflows and quicker access to business-critical applications and data, as well as next-gen connectivity with Wi-Fi 7 available on select models.
Leading the series is the AMD Ryzen 8700G processor, which provides users with eight high-performance cores and 16 threads, 24MB of cache and integrated AMD Radeon 780M graphics. In competitive testing, the AMD Ryzen 8700G offered up to 19% better performance with less power consumption, providing professionals with the performance needed for every workload.
The new Ryzen PRO 8000 Series Desktop processors are expected to be available in platforms from OEM partners HP and Lenovo, as well as from select channel partners starting in Q2, 2024. More details here.
| Model | Cores/Threads | Boost / Base Frequency | Total Cache | cTDP | Ryzen™ AI |
| AMD Ryzen™ 7 PRO 8700G | 8C/16T | Up to 5.1GHz/ 4.2GHz | 24MB | 45-65W | Available |
| AMD Ryzen™ 7 PRO 8700GE | 8C/16T | Up to 5.1GHz/ 3.65GHz | 24MB | 35W | Available |
| AMD Ryzen™ 5 PRO 8600G | 6C/12T | Up to 5.0GHz/ 4.35GHz | 22MB | 45-65W | Available |
| AMD Ryzen™ 5 PRO 8600GE | 6C/12T | Up to 5.0GHz/ 3.90GHz | 22MB | 35W | Available |
| AMD Ryzen™ 5 PRO 8500G | 6C/12T | Up to 5.0GHz/ 3.55GHz | 22MB | 45-65W | N/A |
| AMD Ryzen™ 5 PRO 8500GE | 6C/12T | Up to 5.0GHz/ 3.40GHz | 22MB | 35W | N/A |
| AMD Ryzen™ 3 PRO 8300G | 4C/8T | Up to 4.90GHz/ 3.45GHz | 12MB | 45-65W | N/A |
| AMD Ryzen™ 3 PRO 8300GE | 4C/8T | Up to 4.90GHz/ 3.50GHz | 12MB | 35W | N/A |
AMD Ryzen PRO Technologies and Ryzen AI Empower Enterprises with a Multilayered Approach to Security and AI Capabilities
AMD PRO technologies provide users with enterprise-grade manageability features; a recent study by Principled Technologies shows IT managers can deploy AMD-powered laptops up to 41% faster than the competition’s laptops and manage them at scale with cloud-based tools such as Windows Autopilot. In addition, AMD PRO technologies offers robust, multi-layered security approach embedded directly onto the hardware, on the operating system, and at the system level. With extensive partner support, AMD PRO technologies helps IT decision makers exceed modern security requirements and gives users continuous protection against sophisticated attacks.
In addition, the AMD Ryzen PRO processors have Microsoft Pluton security processor integrated, which provides excellent protection from the chip to the cloud. This helps to safeguard user credentials, identities, personal data, and encryption keys on Windows 11 PCs.
By the end of 2024, over 150 AI-powered ISVs are expected to enable experiences on Ryzen AI. Business users can leverage Ryzen AI to create professional documents, correspondence, and business presentations from just a few bullet points, and summarize and respond to emails, freeing up valuable time during the day. Ryzen AI also enables users with an AI personal assistant to help with coding, collaborate with AI-powered tools, and enhance graphics and video with features such as sharpening and de-noising.
OEM Partners Launch Additional Ryzen PRO 8040 Series-Powered Laptops and Ryzen PRO 8000 Series-Powered Desktops
AMD OEM partners including Lenovo and HP are introducing more AMD Ryzen PRO 8040 and 8000 Series-powered laptops, mobile workstations and desktops with incredible power, performance and AI-readiness for business users of all types. In addition, industry partner Microsoft is continuing to expand Microsoft Copilot features bringing more AI capabilities to Windows systems powered by AMDunlocking new features for expanded productivity, security and everyday business use.
At this year’s HP Amplify Partner Conference, HP announced a variety of commercial desktops, workstations and laptops including the powered by AMD PRO series processors. These systems include the HP EliteBook 805 Series G11 Notebook PCs, HP EliteBook 605 Series G11 Notebook PCs, HP ProBook 405 Series G11 Notebook PCs, HP Elite Small Form Factor 805 G9 Desktop PC, HP ZBook Power G11, and HP ZBook Firefly G11 powered by AMD Ryzen PRO 8000 or 8040 Series processors. HP and AMD are enhancing AI in both the present and future. By leveraging HP’s expertise in high-end workstation computing solutions with AMD’s cutting-edge technology, the collaboration aims to deliver AI readiness and AI creation.
“At HP, we’re continuing to spearhead a new era of personaliSed computing, working hand-in-hand with industry leaders like AMD to shape the future of technology,” said Guayente Sanmartin, SVP and Division President, Commercial Systems & Displays Solutions, HP Inc. “With our continued collaboration, we’re excited to deliver the latest HP Elite and Pro PCs, and Z by HP mobile workstations, that equip our customers with high-performance computing solutions designed to tackle AI workflows.”
Earlier this year, Lenovo announced the ThinkPad T14 Gen 5 with AMD Ryzen PRO 8040 Series processors, and today the company expanded its desktop portfolio to include the ThinkCentre M75s Gen 5, the ThinkCentre M75q Gen 5 and the ThinkCentre M75t Gen 5, all equipped with AMD Ryzen PRO 8000 Series processors.
“The strong partnership between AMD and Lenovo enables us to deliver incredible cutting-edge technology to our customers,” said Sanjeev Menon, vice president and general manager, Worldwide Desktop Business in Intelligent Devices Group, Lenovo. “Our latest Lenovo ThinkCentre commercial desktop PCs powered by AMD Ryzen PRO 8000 Series Desktop Processors leverage AI to provide a superior level of performance and agility, while giving business users more choices to fit their needs. In fact, a recent Lenovo survey showed that nearly half of CIO respondents have a pressing need to integrate AI into their business operations, and these new ThinkCentre desktops will make AI for all possible.”
“At Microsoft, we are continuing to build on the momentum of AI PC adoption delivering more use cases and features designed to help the modern professional increase productivity,” said James Howell, general manager of Windows at Microsoft. “We are working hand in hand with AMD to further deliver optimised performance and security features on AMD Ryzen-powered Windows 11 desktops and mobile systems.”
For more on how AMD is advancing AI and high-performance and adaptive computing, here’s AMD CEO Dr Lisu Su at last month’s SWSX 2024 event in the US:
