CES 2025: AMD expands AI chip lineup but can it outpace Nvidia

At CES 2025 in Las Vegas, AMD unveiled a range of new chips for laptops, desktops, and gaming handhelds, marking a significant move in the company’s 2025 strategy.

AMD unveils new chips and GPUs at CES 2025

AMD captured a 28.7% share of the desktop CPU segment in Q3 2024, reflecting a 9.6 percentage-point increase from the same quarter in the previous year. In the mobile segment, AMD held 22.3% of the chip market, a rise of 2.8 percentage points from the previous fiscal period.

The centerpiece of AMD’s announcement is the Ryzen 9 9950X3D, designed for gamers and creators. This processor features 16 cores based on AMD’s Zen 5 architecture, with clock speeds reaching up to 5.7GHz. Benchmarks indicate that the 9950X3D performs 8% better on average in popular games like Hogwarts Legacy and Starfield compared to the Ryzen 7950X3D. The Ryzen 9 9900X3D, which has 12 cores clocked at 5.5GHz, will also be released in Q1 2025 alongside the 9950X3D.

A complementary series, called “Fire Range,” targets midrange laptops and ultraportables, launching in the first half of 2025. The Fire Range lineup, which includes the Ryzen 9 9850HX, 9955HX, and 9955HX3D, offers 12 to 16 cores with clock speeds ranging from 5.2GHz to 5.4GHz and consumes around 54 watts, significantly lower than the 170 watts required by the 9950X3D.

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New AI and handheld processors

AMD is also entering the AI PC market with the new Ryzen AI 300 and Ryzen AI Max series processors. Each chip features a dedicated neural processing unit (NPU) aimed at enhancing specific AI tasks, such as text summarization and image editing in Windows 11. The Ryzen AI 300 series will launch in Q1/Q2 2025 and includes four models—Ryzen AI 7 350, Ryzen AI 5 340, Ryzen AI 7 Pro 350, and Ryzen AI 5 Pro 340—packing 6 to 8 cores clocked at up to 5GHz, with a potential battery life exceeding 24 hours in optimal scenarios.

The Ryzen AI Max series is positioned as AMD’s flagship for AI PCs, featuring 6 to 16 cores clocked up to 5.1GHz and integrated graphics. These processors promise superior performance in 3D rendering and AI applications. The Ryzen AI Max series includes models such as the Ryzen AI Max+ 395 and Ryzen AI Max Pro 390, set to debut in Q1/Q2 2025.

AMD also introduced the Ryzen 200 series, aimed at more budget-friendly devices, which will feature 6 to 8 cores and clock speeds up to 5.2GHz, scheduled for release in Q2 2025.

In the handheld processor segment, AMD showcased the Ryzen Z2 series for lightweight gaming-focused systems. This series includes the Ryzen Z2 Go with four cores clocked at up to 4.3GHz and 12 graphics cores, the Ryzen Z2 Extreme with eight cores at 5GHz and 16 graphics cores, and the standard Ryzen Z2 packing eight cores at 5.1GHz with 12 graphics cores. All three SKUs will be available in Q1 2025.

Graphics cards and AI features

AMD revealed its latest discrete GPUs, the Radeon RX 9070 XT and Radeon RX 9070, based on the new RDNA 4 architecture. These graphics cards aim to enhance ray tracing performance, media encoding quality, and AI acceleration. The RX 9070 XT and RX 9070 will be available from various manufacturers, including Acer, Asus, Gigabyte, and XFX, in Q1 2025.

Additionally, AMD highlighted its FidelityFX Super Resolution 4.0 technology, which uses AI algorithms to upscale game content to near 4K resolution with minimal latency. Moreover, the AMD Adrenalin software has been updated with new AI features, allowing image generation, text summarization for documents like PDFs, and an AI-powered chatbot that answers AMD-related questions.

AMD’s CES 2025 announcements are impressive, but can they truly outpace Nvidia? AMD’s making noise, and their AI push looks strong, but Nvidia’s grip on enterprise AI and high-margin GPUs is tighter than ever. AMD’s playing catch-up well, but stealing the crown? That’s gonna take more than a CES mic drop.

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