One of the highlights of AMD's announcements at CES 2025 was the powerful new Ryzen AI Max hybrid processors. These chips, featured in the ASUS ROG Flow Z13 and HP ZBook Ultra 14 G1a, might not have existed if it weren't for Apple's success with its own M-series silicon.
Ryzen AI Max: Performance and Features
The AMD Ryzen AI Max is a high-performance processor with a 16-core CPU, 50 RDNA 3.5 graphics cores, and up to 128GB of integrated RAM. AMD claims it provides up to 2.6x faster 3D rendering and 1.4x higher graphics performance compared to the Intel Core Ultra 9 288V. The company also states that this chip is comparable to the 14-core Apple M4 Pro.
Apple's Influence on AMD
While AMD Vice President, Joe Macri, states that they had been developing APUs (Accelerated Processing Units) prior, the company acknowledges Apple’s success in convincing consumers that a powerful computer does not necessarily require a discrete GPU.
"Many in the PC industry were saying if you needed graphics, it had to be discrete graphics. Otherwise, people would think it's bad graphics. Apple showed that consumers don’t really care about what's inside the box. They really care about how that box looks. They care about the screen, keyboard, and mouse. They care about what the box does in the end," said Joe Macri.
The Road to Ryzen AI Max
According to Macri, he had been advocating for the development of these types of chips, but it was the success of Apple Silicon that finally convinced management to approve the "mind-boggling" investment needed to develop the Ryzen AI Max.
