AMD’s upcoming Strix Point processors are crucial for the company, as these laptop chips will power the highly anticipated Copilot+ PCs. However, if recent rumors are to be believed, AMD is struggling to settle on a name for these processors, leading to potential confusion among consumers.
The Naming Saga
According to a leak from Golden Pig Upgrade, a well-known source in the hardware leaks community, AMD has renamed its top-end Strix Point CPUs as Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 and Ryzen AI 9 HX 365. This clunky five-part name is a far cry from the previously rumored names, such as Ryzen AI 100, Ryzen 8000, or Ryzen 9000 series laptop processors.
The AI Acceleration Factor
It seems AMD’s decision to rename the Strix Point CPUs as the Ryzen AI 300 series stems from a desire to highlight the processors’ AI acceleration capabilities. These chips feature an NPU (Neural Processing Unit) similar to the one found in Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite, enabling advanced AI features like Recall in Copilot+ PCs.
Potential Marketing Ploy by AMD
The rumor mill suggests that AMD’s naming strategy might be a marketing tactic to position the Ryzen AI 300 series as superior to Intel’s upcoming Lunar Lake (Core Ultra 200) processors, which will also feature an NPU for Copilot+ PCs. By using a higher number (300 vs. 200), AMD may be attempting to sway consumers who might be swayed by larger numbers on spec sheets.
Simplicity Desired
While AMD’s motivations are understandable from a marketing perspective, the proposed five-part names (e.g., Ryzen AI 9 HX 370) are undoubtedly clunky and potentially confusing for consumers. Simplicity and clarity in naming conventions are often preferable, especially in the highly competitive CPU market.
