Desktop Intel Arrow Lake-S CPUs Have Weaker NPU Than Their Laptop Counterparts, Leaker Claims
The latest leak from known tipster @jaykihn sheds light on the upcoming Intel Arrow Lake-S desktop processors, specifically focusing on their integrated neural processing unit (NPU) performance. And the news might be a bit underwhelming for desktop users.
According to the leak, all Core Ultra 200 models will feature an NPU capable of 13 TOPS (trillions of operations per second). When combined with the CPU and GPU for Int8 calculations, this figure jumps to 37 TOPS, representing a threefold improvement over Raptor Lake-S.
However, this performance pales in comparison to Intel's mobile offerings. The Snapdragon X Elite NPU, as well as those expected in Intel's Lunar Lake-MX and AMD's Strix Point, boast three times the processing power.
While Intel easily outpaces AMD in this regard, as desktop Ryzen 9000 CPUs lack a dedicated NPU altogether, the lower performance of Arrow Lake-S seemingly stems from the use of older architecture. In contrast, Lunar Lake will leverage the more advanced NPU4.
This discrepancy suggests that while AI capabilities are rapidly advancing in the mobile sector, the same level of focus hasn't yet reached desktop PCs.