AMD and Microsoft Collaborate to Bring AI to Windows 11 Laptops
Artificial intelligence (AI) is a transformative technology that has emerged in the past 40 years. However, to fully utilize its capabilities, it requires more than just the latest processor or graphics card. AMD and Microsoft are working together to create the building blocks developers and consumers need to take full advantage of AI today and in the future.
While many AI tasks can run on a conventional CPU or GPU, specialized AI engines on silicon designed specifically for AI tasks are necessary to deliver the right performance and experience to end-users. The new AMD Ryzen 7040 Series processors with Ryzen AI deliver cutting-edge AI features via a dedicated on-die processing block that's purpose-built to handle AI workloads. Integrating this functionality in ultrathin laptops will give these systems the outstanding AI performance they might not enjoy if relying on more conventional processors.
Microsoft is working to integrate AI into the Windows ecosystem in many different ways, and AMD Ryzen AI is designed to support these new innovations. AMD Ryzen AI is now supported in Windows Studio Effects, which includes Eye Contact, Automatic framing, and advanced background effects, including background blur. Each is designed to improve a different aspect of video calls, which have become an important part of many people's jobs and daily lives. Windows Studio effects are enabled by machine learning algorithms and will require a neural processing unit (NPU) like Ryzen AI.
As part of its overall AI strategic direction, AMD is providing early access to the Ryzen AI software to Windows developers. This will enable AI researchers and developers to run AI workloads on select Ryzen 7040 Series processors with Ryzen AI using the open-source AI framework Vitis AI Execution Provider (EP), which is up streamed in ONNX Runtime with support for Microsoft Olive. Developers are encouraged to visit GitHub to begin.
"We believe that dedicated AI processing engines are essential to bring to life a future of amazing AI experiences on Windows 11," said Pavan Davuluri, CVP Windows Silicon and Systems Integration, Microsoft Corp. "The Ryzen 7040 Series processors with AMD Ryzen AI are a great way to experience Windows Studio Effects now and, in the future, for developers to run AI workloads on the ONNX Runtime today."
AI is expected to drive innovation in the Windows ecosystem for years to come, for both customers and developers alike. AMD Ryzen 7040 Series processors with AMD Ryzen AI offer outstanding performance, incredible power efficiency, and unique experiences not available on other x86 processors today. The new developer tools AMD has made available will enable programmers to more easily add or integrate AI functionality, making artificial intelligence-powered applications more widely available to the general public. These features will be available in more than 80 AMD Ryzen AI-powered laptops, making them the best choice for anyone looking for a powerful, modern notebook.
