AMD Ryzen AI PRO 300 processors introduced to deliver Copilot+ PCs in businesses

AMD has announced three new CPUs designed for business laptops. Part of its AMD Ryzen AI PRO 300 Series CPUs, they use the same Zen 5 architecture as found in the Ryzen AI 300 series found in consumer laptops – but with an extra layer of security built in.

“Our third generation AI-enabled processors for business PCs deliver unprecedented AI processing capabilities with incredible battery life and seamless compatibility for the applications users depend on,” said Jack Huynh, General Manager of AMD’s Computing and Graphics Group.

To dissect that quote, the first refers to the NPU built into all these new chips. Unlike those built into the Ryzen 7040 and 8040, this third generation of Ryzen AI (AMD’s name for its NPU) meets Microsoft’s Copilot+ PCs. With 50 to 55 TOPS, it’s roughly three times more powerful in fact.

Incredible battery life? This is the only questionable part of Huynh’s statement, as from what I’ve seen both Qualcomm and Intel’s second-generation Core Ultra chips are more power efficient. But it’s also true that I’ve seen much improved battery life – compared to previous AMD generations – in laptops powered by AMD’s Ryzen AI 300 series chips. You should get a full day of work away without needing to charge.

Then we come to the “seamless compatibility”, which is a not-so-subtle jibe at Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X chips. These are actually brilliant performers in 90% of business tasks, but it’s true that some software – particularly if it requires assistance from the GPU – does not yet work.

Introducing the new AMD Ryzen AI PRO 300 Series

The easiest way to share the details are via this slide from AMD’s presentation.

All three are based on AMD’s Zen 5 architecture, and it’s brutally fast. The top two chips will be a big chunk ahead of the Ryzen AI 7 PRO 360, however, thanks to their 12 cores.

Also note that that the Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 370 and 375 both include AMD’s Radeon 890M graphics. That’s roughly 30% more powerful than the 880M in the 360, and you will notice the difference whether you’re gaming or using the GPU to accelerate software (such as in 3D rendering).

Ryzen AI PRO 300 vs Ryzen AI 300 series

So, what difference does the three-letter word “PRO” make? Again, a slide from AMD’s presentation provides a handy summary.

“The layers within security are part of [AMD PRO’s] strength,” said John Anguiano, Senior Director, Product Marketing during a pre-recorded briefing for press and analysts. And you can see those layers above.

He added that “the overall services throughout AMD PRO technologies support enterprises in their overall mission and allow them to focus on their core competencies and not just on deployment”. Which sounds like a tickbox statement, but is absolutely key if AMD is to wrestle sales from Intel – which is still the dominant force within business laptop sales.

What’s new? First, see the fact that AMD Secure Processor 2.0 has been built in. This adds hardware protection against attackers that go through the “stack”, from BIOS to drivers to Windows 11.

“But we have added to our stack, as seen here on the left, three new offerings, the Cloud Bare Metal Recovery, the Supply Chain Security and the Watchdog Timer,” said Anguiano.

Combined, these are meant to provide protection against how much “key and and really crucial information passes through employees’ hands in these different environments, particularly considering travel and remote [working] and other functions that these client devices get carried into”.

In other words, your business data is travelling into the wilderness outside your office. You need to protect it.

AI-enhanced protection

AMD is promising one final layer of protection compared to previous generation of Ryzen PRO processors: AI-enhanced security features.

“This is a collaboration with specific hardware and with ISV partners,” said Anguiano, citing Bufferzone and Dynamo AI as two examples.

“Bufferzone, focused on AI-based anti-phishing technology is a great way to show how to collaborate into the hooks that connect the layers of the security,” said Anguiano.

He added that the “Dynamo AI offering… really helps ensure transparent AI decisions that meet compliance and regulations that many businesses need to pay attention to on a routine basis”.

Who will be selling business laptops with Ryzen AI PRO 300 inside?

So AMD has built the technology; who will now come to use it? In the press release announcing this launch, AMD included quotes from HP and Lenovo, and both companies’ importance was backed up by this slide:

You’ll have to trust me when I say that five of those are HP laptops, five are made by Lenovo.

However, I expect to see AMD announce partnerships with Acer and Dell over the coming weeks. Especially after my recent interview with Massimiliano Rossi, VP of Acer EMEA, who predicted that AMD, Qualcomm and Intel would have equal market share in the long run.