AMD Ryzen AI Max Pro 400 Gets 192GB Memory

AMD has officially announced the Ryzen AI Max Pro 400 series processors, the successor to the Strix Halo-based Ryzen AI Max 300 series. Known by the codename Gorgon Halo, the new processor family targets commercial AI PCs, mobile workstations, and small-form-factor desktop systems. It appears to focus on professional and AI workloads.

The most significant change in the Ryzen AI Max 400 series is memory support. AMD upgraded the memory controller to support up to 192GB of LPDDR5X memory, up from the previous 128GB limit. This improvement matters for AI developers and users running large-scale language models and other high-load AI tasks.

AMD Ryzen AI Max Pro 400 Series

AMD has also allowed users to manually partition memory between the system and the integrated graphics. The integrated graphics can now use up to 160GB of video memory, helping handle high-performance AI and graphics workloads. Ryzen AI Max 400 series has up to 16 Zen 5 CPU cores and a large built-in GPU based on the RDNA 3.5 graphics architecture.

The updated chips have small but significant speed improvements. The GPU boost clock has been upgraded from 2.90GHz in the previous generation to a maximum of 3.00GHz, while the CPU boost clock rises to a maximum of 5.20GHz. The updated NPU delivers up to 55 TOPS of AI performance, providing about a 10% improvement in AI processing performance over the previous generation.

AMD has introduced three models in the new series. Ryzen AI Max+ Pro 495 is the top-tier processor, featuring 16 cores, 32 threads, a boost clock up to 5.20 GHz, a GPU with 40 compute units, and 55 TOPS of AI performance. Ryzen AI Max Pro 490 features 12 cores and 24 threads, a boost clock up to 5.00 GHz, a 32-CU integrated GPU, and up to 50 TOPS of AI performance.

Meanwhile, the Ryzen AI Max Pro 485 has 8 cores and 16 threads, the same 32-CU graphics, and a 50-TOPS AI engine. AMD stated that the new processors are designed for advanced AI development platforms and professional systems, leveraging AMD Pro features that directly compete with Intel vPro technology.

Ryzen AI Max Pro 400 targets AI developers and workstations with 192GB of memory.

Consumer versions are also scheduled for release later this year. Only the top-tier flagship SKU, the Ryzen AI Max+ Pro 495, offers meaningful specification changes in terms of computational throughput, with slight increases in clock speeds for the CPU, GPU, and NPU. 

With these improvements, the CPU has been upgraded to 5.20GHz and the GPU to the new Radeon 8065S. The chips are officially stated to be suitable for use in devices ranging from laptops and mobile workstations to full-scale desktops, thanks to their wide cTDP range.

However, if OEMs adopt the Ryzen AI Max Pro 400 series as they did with the 300 series, we can expect it to be used primarily in desktop systems. In particular, the Ryzen AI Max Pro 400 series is expected to be used in small-form-factor desktops such as AMD's Ryzen AI Halo, which is scheduled to feature 400-series chips later this year.