A range of chips with a powerful graphics solution and an NPU capable of 50 TOPS... to satisfy Copilot+ PC compatibility.
Since the release of the first Zen 5 processors in the summer, AMD has been multiplying its product ranges in order to bring its new architecture to as many market segments as possible: Granite Ridge, Strix Point, Fire Range, Strix Halo, Krackan Point, the references and code names follow one another and are not alike. Well, Granite Ridge isn't too complicated: it's the first range, the one that launched the Ryzen 9000 processors and, in fact, the Zen 5 architecture. Following on from this, AMD launched Strix Point, which includes the first so-called APU chips - with high-performance graphics solutions - to combine Zen 5 cores (but fewer than on Granite Ridge) with RDNA 3.5 graphics processing units and power beefy notebooks. They are known under the trade name Ryzen AI 300.
AMD Zen 5 chip specifications © VideoCardz
Then things get complicated. First, there's the Fire Range rumor, which has yet to be confirmed. Then there are the Strix Halo APUs, the logical follow-up to the Strix Point. We don't yet know the commercial name, but these chips should make it possible to produce super-powered notebooks or mini-PCs capable of nice graphics performance. To this end, there are as many Zen 5 cores as on Granite Ridge and many more RDNA 3.5 CPUs than on Strix Point: we're talking 40 CPUs versus 16 CPUs, which should boost performance on even the most demanding video games. However, all these ranges fail to answer THE question of the moment for PC manufacturers: how to design machines that are compatible with the new Microsoft standard - the famous Copilot+ PCs - while remaining affordable.
AMD
Qualcomm seems to have succeeded in doing just that, with the launch of its latest Snapdragon X Plus processors - the eight-core models we mentioned just a few days ago. AMD, however, didn't wait long before pulling a perfectly credible answer out of its sleeve, at least on paper: the Krackan Point range. As VideoCardz explains, this combines Zen 5 cores (up to 4) and Zen 5c cores (also up to 4) within a monolithic chip that also features RDNA 3.5 computing units (up to 8). Obviously, this won't compete with Strix Point, but it should result in relatively inexpensive chips and keep the NPU power of 50 TOPS to benefit from Microsoft's Copilot+ PC accreditation. According to VideoCardz's source, Krackan could be officially announced at CES in Las Vegas at the beginning of 2025, and marketed thereafter. It remains to be seen whether the laptops thus equipped will actually cost less than $800, a psychological barrier in this market.
