AMD is trying to convince enterprise customers to purchase Copilot+ PCs with the new Ryzen AI Pro label. The chips are identical to the previously launched Ryzen AI 300.
Every PC these days has to be an “AI PC. In June, AMD jumped on the bandwagon with the launch of the Ryzen AI 300 processors. Today it is relaunching those same processors, with the addition of a Pro label. That little word should convince companies to invest in Copilot+ PCs (with AMD Ryzen AI).
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AMD knocks Copilot+ hype up further with Ryzen AI Pro label
To be clear, in terms of hardware, nothing changes with Ryzen AI Pro. The chips carrying the Pro label are the same as the previously launched chips. You have to look at it as a version for professional customers and a version for consumers. The Ryzen AI 300 processors feature an NPU that takes over AI workloads from the CPU.
That NPU was not a first for Ryzen AI 300, but what makes it unique within the AMD portfolio is that it meets the limit imposed by Microsoft for Copilot+ PCs (40 TOPS). Since the AI PC has existed, the number of TOPS has suddenly become a specification that makes or cracks a processor. For example, the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375, the flagship from the stable, reaches 55 TOPS and so now gets a Pro version.
The added value of the Copilot+ PCs are mainly in battery life. AMD’s processors allow up to 23 hours of battery life, or nine hours of continuous Microsoft Teams meetings.
Same, but different
What exactly does AMD Ryzen AI Pro add? The question is posed at the press conference by Jason Banta, head of AMD’s Client OEM division. The Pro versions come with a broader framework for security and management. That should make Copilot+ PCs more business ready, Banta said.
Surely we are mostly waiting for more practical applications. The first generations of Copilot+ PCs come with few applications that show why you need so many TOPS in your PC. Copilot is everywhere, but you don’t necessarily need a Copilot+ PC for that either. The addition of Windows Recall isn’t going to change that much, either. Until Copilot+ proves us wrong, we will continue to see it as whipped up marketing hype, which AMD is adding to today.