When I joined AMD six months ago, it was because I wanted to be part of a company that is growing more prominent in the market for AI solutions and has demonstrated significant success consistently for more than 5 years. There are a few moments in the history of computing that are regarded as transformative. The original Apple Macintosh launch, the debut of Microsoft Windows 95, and the advent of smartphones with large touchscreens changed what people thought computers were capable of.
I don’t think it’s an accident that each of these moments changed how people interacted with computers. The original Macintosh introduced a graphic user interface (GUI) and a mouse. Windows 95 introduced features like the taskbar and the concept of a start button alongside dramatically improved multimedia capabilities. AI-powered assistants and tools could similarly change how we interact with PCs by making it much easier to talk to a computer, receive an intelligent, meaningful response and improve personal productivity.
It is evident that AI is here now and is the future. A recent survey of commercial vendors by IDC¹ examined what kinds of improvements companies believed AI would deliver. The survey measured the attitudes of large enterprises, small and medium businesses (SMB), and government and education entities.
Improved automation and efficiency is the most-named priority, with significant additional interest across all segments in accelerated data analytics and stronger data privacy and security services. Businesses and organizations of every size are interested in the improvements AI can offer, and AMD is uniquely well positioned to deliver them.
AMD Ryzen™ AI is a breakthrough innovation that includes the first built-in AI engine for x86 Windows laptops, and the only integrated AI engine of its kind. It features dedicated AI accelerator hardware seamlessly integrated on-chip and software that intelligently optimizes tasks and workloads and runs them efficiently. Advanced AI PCs enhance user productivity with AI features that support new applications to improve collaboration and boost creativity. AMD Ryzen™ AI allows the development of these new experiences by opening the door to advanced personal virtual assistants, enhanced video conferencing, and AI-inspired visuals.
The AI strategy AMD is pursuing is based on three key pillars: Products, architecture, and an open ecosystem. We deliver a portfolio of products ranging from datacenter CPUs and FPGAs to select Ryzen 7040 and 8040 Mobile series CPUs equipped with the aforementioned integrated AI engine². Additionally, AMD has collaborated with a range of ISVs, including Topaz and Adobe, to accelerate AI processing on Ryzen products. Our rapidly evolving Ryzen AI software platform provides developers with the tools and models they need to build cutting edge applications.
AMD is also committed to deploying AI responsibly and ethically and is committed to working with industry partners to solve some of the world’s most complex issues. If you’d like to learn more about AMD Ryzen processors with AI technology built in, click here. If you’d like to learn more about AI initiatives at AMD, David McAfee has written a blog post that discusses the architecture of Ryzen AI in more detail and John Taylor has some thoughts on why he wants his staff to embrace AI writing tools.
I am truly impressed with AMD’s technology leadership, the effort and dedication I’ve seen here, and I am excited to be part of this transformative journey.
¹ - IDC's 2023 U.S. Commercial PCD Survey — AI PC Results , doc #US51194123, September 2023
² - As of May 2023, AMD has the first available dedicated AI engine on an x86 Windows processor, where 'dedicated AI engine' is defined as an AI engine that has no function other than to process AI inference models and is part of the x86 processor die. For detailed information, please check: https://www.amd.com/en/products/ryzen-ai. PHX-3.