Laptops get AI chips, smart software engines to boost efficiency

Lenovo isn’t alone. Unlike 2020, when such features were implemented at the software level only, chipmakers such as Intel, Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) and Nvidia are making AI processing a core part of their chips. While Apple, too, had built a neural engine into its new M-series chips, Intel, Nvidia and AMD together command a much larger market share in the PC market. Chips from these firms are usually used for Windows-based laptops, which compromise over 75% of the PC market, according to statistics website StatCounter.

For instance, AMD unveiled the Ryzen 7000 chip on January 4. The chip comes with an AI engine called Ryzen AI built in, and several PC makers have already committed to using the chip on their devices. Intel too is said to be working on something similar with its Meteor Lake processors, expected to be launched later this year.

The moves are akin to Samsung, Qualcomm, Apple and Google, which have built chips with specialized AI functionality into their smartphones. Google, for instance, builds Tensor chips for its Pixel smartphones to enhance features like the Google Assistant. This will also enable developers to build more AI-driven programs for laptops, the same way apps use AI functionalities on phones.

“Many of the experiences we get on PCs demand trillions of operations per second. AI engines can run them without taxing the CPU and GPU while consuming a few hundred milliwatts. It means you get incredible AI, without sacrificing performance or battery life. This means you can run powerful language models without getting in the way of anything else that you might be doing on your PC at the same time,” said Panos Panay, chief product officer at Microsoft, at CES during the unveiling of Ryzen AI last month .To be sure, device makers have been offering AI-based features on laptops for a couple of years. HP, for example, offers AI-based privacy alerts, noise reduction and enhanced video and sound experience on its Specter X360 laptops. Microsoft’s Windows Studio Effects software uses AI to blur the background during calls, filter noise and maintain eye contact with the webcams even when the user is looking away. Chips like these will enhance such software, and possibly make them faster.

“Ryzen AI engine is different because it is the world’s first integrated AI engine on an X86 processor. This means that AI workloads before now have been executed using standard processor or graphics silicon that is not optimized to process AI workloads,” said Vinay Sinha, managing director of sales, AMD India.

He explained that just like the invention of the graphics processing unit (GPU), which enhanced graphics performance on PCs, purpose-built AI processing hardware enables new types of approaches to AI workloads.

“Now that OEMs have access to this hardware, we anticipate AI-driven software to improve with more features, performance, and battery optimization over time,” he added

“AI is the next big phase in laptops, with faster processor cores, intelligent features, and better graphic chips – to cater to the evolving consumer requirements in today’s world,” said Nitish Singal, Head, Personal Systems (Consumer) at HP India.

Further, experts believe that AI engines will help PC makers market laptops better for enterprise buyers and developers too, even though this may not have an immediate impact on the demand for PCs.

“In the long term, AI in the operating system (OS) and apps creates not just automation benefits, it starts to become predictive and provides active training and learning. This starts to change the skills equation. Now PC providers can market something new, with PCs a Workplace tool,” said Ranjit Atwal, senior analyst director at Gartner.

Atwal said that smaller PC brands are typically more innovative with these new tools. “They can create more specialized AI modules that work specifically for different verticals or industries,” he added.

Navkendar Singh, associate vice president, devices research at IDC, noted that the end objective is to make PCs do such things that one cannot do on smartphones. “These features can help, but I reckon more in the creator/developer space and other commercial use cases. From a consumer’s point of view, the end-use case needs to be very compelling. Maybe gaming and use cases coming out of Metaverse can appeal, but those are still a few years away realistically,” he said.