Is AMD preparing for a showdown with Apple and Nvidia with its most powerful APU to date? Rumor has it that the Ryzen AI Max+ 395 will support 96GB of RAM and will be able to run large language models in memory without requiring a dedicated AI GPU.
Leaks about the new Strix Halo-based APU suggest that it will be a real powerhouse.
AMD is taking the capabilities of integrated GPUs to a new level with its upcoming Ryzen AI Max series, based on the Strix Halo architecture, according to leaks and reports from various tech forums. This series aims to surpass the performance of the Ryzen AI 9 HX 375, delivering exceptional performance in integrated graphics and processing power.
Leaks from David Huang and other tech forums in China indicate that the Ryzen AI Max lineup will consist of three models. The Ryzen AI Max 385 will feature 8 CPU cores and an integrated GPU with 32 Compute Units (CUs). Above this model is the Ryzen AI Max 390, which will have 12 cores and 40 CUs, while the flagship, the Ryzen AI Max+ 395, will boast 16 cores and also 40 CUs. Reports suggest that these processors will have enough graphical power to outperform dedicated cards, such as the Radeon RX 7600 XT, making them ideal options for gaming, artificial intelligence, and professional workloads.
The Strix Halo architecture, which is based on a chiplet design, will include Zen 5 cores and powerful integrated graphics based on the RDNA 3.5 architecture. David Huang mentioned on his social media that a new description of 192K general-purpose vector registers was discovered in the recent LLVM td update for RDNA 3.5 in Strix Halo, and several ROCm libraries have recently added official support for this architecture. Alongside the shared CPU scores in Geekbench 5, it seems these processors feature a total AVX512 width and double the bandwidth per CCX, opening the possibility for laptops and even tablets to operate as supercomputers.
Furthermore, the inclusion of up to 128GB of LPDDR5X memory and a 32MB MALL cache will further enhance capabilities for high-performance graphics and computing tasks. It is also expected that Strix Halo will support up to 96GB of memory for video processing, making it suitable for workstation applications and tasks like large language models (LLMs). The APUs of the new Strix Halo series are likely to be unveiled early next year, with CES 2025 serving as the official launch platform. Undoubtedly, more information is expected to emerge as the event approaches.