Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) unveiled its latest artificial intelligence (AI) processors at the Computex technology trade show in Taipei.
The company detailed its ambitious plan to develop AI chips over the next two years, aiming to challenge industry leader Nvidia.
New AI Processors:
AMD CEO Lisa Su introduced the MI325X accelerator, which will be available in the fourth quarter of 2024. This new processor is part of AMD’s strategy to compete in the booming AI semiconductor market, currently dominated by Nvidia, which holds about 80% of the market share.
“AI is our number one priority as a company, and we have harnessed all of the development capability within the company to do that,” Su told reporters. AMD plans to adopt an annual release cycle for its AI chips to meet market demands, mirroring Nvidia’s strategy.
Upcoming AI Chip Series:
AMD also announced the MI350 series of chips, which is expected in 2025 and based on a new chip architecture. The MI350 is projected to perform 35 times better in inference than the current MI300 series. Additionally, the MI400 series, based on the “Next” architecture, will arrive in 2026.
Investors who have heavily invested in AI technology are keen on longer-term updates from chip firms like AMD. Despite AMD’s shares doubling since early 2023, they have not matched the over seven-fold increase in Nvidia’s shares during the same period.
Sales Projections and Market Position:
In April, AMD projected approximately $4 billion AI chip sales for 2024, a $500 million increase from its previous estimate. The company aims to maintain a one-year product cycle for AI chips, similar to Nvidia’s annual release plans.
At Computex, AMD also highlighted its next generation of central processor units (CPUs), expected in the second half of 2024. While AI chips in data centers are prioritized, some of AMD’s CPUs are used with graphics processing units (GPUs), though GPUs dominate the usage ratio.
AMD detailed the architecture for its new neural processing units (NPUs), which handle on-device AI tasks in AI PCs. This advancement aims to drive growth in the PC market, which has been sluggish for years.
Partnerships and Market Impact:
PC providers, including HP, plan to release devices with AMD’s AI PC chips. AMD claims its processors exceed Microsoft’s Copilot+ PC requirements, highlighting their advanced capabilities.