AMD’s Ryzen AI Max+ brings monstrous 40-core GPU, unified memory to laptops

Briefly: AMD presented its new Strix Halo Ryzen AI Max+ mobile processors at CES 2025 in Las Vegas. With impressive specs, these chips look poised to dominate the competitive thin and light gaming laptop and AI workstation markets. The line includes four models: Ryzen AI Max+ 395/Pro, Ryzen AI Max 390/Pro, Ryzen AI Max 385/Pro and Ryzen AI Max 380 Pro.

At the top of the line is the Ryzen AI Max+ 395 with 16 CPU cores, 40 GPU cores and support for up to 128GB of shared RAM. One step down is the Ryzen AI Max+ 390, which features 12 CPU cores and 32 GPU cores. Next is the Ryzen AI Max+ 385 with eight CPU cores and 32 GPU cores. Finally, designed for professional users, the Ryzen AI Max Pro 380 includes six CPU cores, 16 GPU cores, and advanced security and management features.

All models have a base TDP of 55 W, which can be adjusted from 45 to 120 W for more robust cooling solutions. The chips, built on the latest 3nm process technology, use a design in which the CPU cores are distributed across two smaller chiplets, while the GPU and AI engines are located on a larger central I/O die. They also support up to 128GB of unified memory, with up to 96GB available for graphics, a feature AMD highlights as crucial for seamless multitasking and processing “incredibly large AI models.”

The Ryzen AI Max+ 395 boasts impressive graphics performance and is powered by a 40-core RDNA 3.5 integrated GPU known as the Radeon 8060S. According to AMD, this is the fastest integrated GPU available in any Windows laptop.

AMD claims that the Ryzen AI Max+ 395 is 1.4 times faster than the top-end Intel Lunar Lake Core Ultra 9 288V chip in terms of gaming performance. AMD claims that for AI workloads, performance can be 2.2 times faster than the Nvidia RTX 4090 desktop GPU while consuming just 87 percent of the power.

While gaming remains the focus, AMD is positioning Ryzen AI Max+ APUs as versatile, powerful platforms for demanding workloads such as video rendering, 3D modeling, data analytics, and more. According to AMD’s content creation tests, these chips demonstrate significant performance gains over the latest Apple M4 Pro processors in popular rendering engines such as V-Ray, Blender and Corona. However, Cinebench results show somewhat less impressive, although still competitive, results.

Naturally, tests provided by vendors should always be taken with a grain of salt. However, if these processors can achieve levels of performance even approaching those claimed by AMD, they have the potential to be game-changers.

The new Ryzen AI Max+ chips are expected to appear in laptops from AMD’s OEM partners starting in the first and second quarters of 2025.