AMD's Ryzen AI 400 chips are a big boost for laptops and desktops alike

AMD is launching new Ryzen AI 400 processors at CES 2026, building on the AI PC trend. These new chips offer modest speed improvements over last year's models. Notably, they include AMD's first Copilot+ processors designed for desktop use. While the Copilot+ program has not yet gained significant traction, it has established a framework for AI-capable PCs. The current need is for truly useful AI features integrated within Windows itself. AMD's prior AI desktop chips, the Ryzen 8000G series, had less powerful NPUs for AI tasks. The new Ryzen AI 400 processors boast 60 TOPS XDNA 2 NPUs, exceeding the 40 TOPS minimum for Copilot+ systems. This enhancement will lead to slightly faster AI model inference for users running such workloads. The top-tier Ryzen AI 9 HX 475 features up to 12 Zen 5 CPU cores and high memory speeds. Even the entry-level Ryzen AI 5 430 supports fast RAM and offers a 50 TOPS NPU. AMD claims these new chips will deliver up to 30 percent faster multitasking and 70 percent faster content creation. Additionally, improved battery performance is anticipated, with a 70 percent boost in "unplugged connectivity" noted in tests.