AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX170 And More Zen 5 CPU Model Names Break Cover
Zen 5 hype is building as we edge ever closer to Computex, when AMD is expected to announce new processors based on its next-generation CPU architecture. From reliable leaks, we already know a fair bit about the chips that AMD will be creating based around Zen 5, but our only leak about the actual naming of the final products has been one from Gigabyte, which seems to reveal that "Granite Ridge" Zen 5 desktop CPUs will be the "Ryzen 9000" family.
New leaks from Lenovo and ASUS have shined a light on the names for AMD's mobile Zen 5 processors, but they're a little confusing. From Lenovo, we have a new brochure for the T14 Gen 5 laptop chassis touting its inclusion of Ryzen AI technology. In the text, Lenovo mentions that the machines can be powered by "AMD Ryzen PRO 8040/8050 Series processors with built-in Ryzen AI." Ryzen PRO 8040 is Hawk Point, so Ryzen PRO 8050 must be Strix Point, as a "5" in the third position means "Zen 5."
This is corroborated by a leak over at Chinese site ITHome, who reports that a bunch of new ASUS laptops are on the way sporting Strix Point processors. Many of these machines will seemingly also be available with Hawk Point SoCs, implying that the two are likely pin-compatible. According the post, laptops whose model numbers include a "W" in the second-to-last position will have Ryzen 8050 processors, meaning Strix Point.
However, an entirely different leak from ASUS, spotted by regular leaker 포시포시 (@harukaze5719 on Xwitter) and confirmed by another well-known member of the community, HXL (@9550pro on Xwitter), seems to indicate that AMD may be pursuing an entirely different naming scheme for at least some of its upcoming Zen 5 CPUs. Using the comparison tool on ASUS' site, the leaker managed to uncover details of several upcoming Vivobook S laptops that will apparently be available with "AMD Ryzen™ AI 9 HX 170" processors.
The reaction from the community has largely been negative. The new naming convention is quizzical, although not completely unexpected from the company that gave us "EPYC" server processors and, back in the day, the "Athlon XP" (just in time for the launch of Windows XP.) The new naming really is a mouthful. "Ryzen AI 9 HX 170" doesn't exactly roll off the tongue, and it's arguably even worse than "Core Ultra 9 185H". AMD just couldn't resist the chance to one-up Intel, even if it's in the area of "questionable product names."
There are a few other interesting details that can be gleaned from the ASUS leak; apparently a Ryzen AI 9 HX 170 processor can deliver 77 TOPS, with 45 of those coming from the XDNA 2 NPU. If the idea of a 45 TOPS NPU sounds familiar to you, that's because Intel said the same thing about Lunar Lake. The companies are converging on that value because its a defacto requirement for Microsoft to enable AI features in Windows.
Hopefully, we see some performance leaks of these new processors soon. Rumors suggest that Zen 5 is as much as 40% faster than Zen 4. We find these ideas dubious, but are nonetheless intrigued. AMD is expected to launch Zen 5 at or near Computex starting June 6.
