AMD will release Krackan Point APUs to provide more affordable devices to the masses but needs to tackle the chip supply by 2025.
AMD Krackan Point APUs based on the Zen 5+ Zen 5c architecture to power budget-segment mobile devices
At IFA 2024, we saw many key players announcing their upcoming products. From Intel's Lunar Lake-based laptops and handhelds to AMD Ryzen AI 300-equipped laptops, there were plenty of laptops and other such devices that focused on the AI and Copilot+ experience. One lineup, namely the Krackan Point, which was rumored to launch at CES 2025 has now been confirmed by AMD itself for early 2025 launch.
This was confirmed by Senior VP and General Manager of AMD Computing and Graphics, Jack Huynh, who also confirmed recently that AMD is preparing the custom Ryzen Z2 Extreme chip for early 2025 release. As reported by Computerbase, Jack said that AMD acknowledges the need for cheaper chips as the AMD Strix Point is a premium offering. Strix laptops are generally expensive and the masses cannot afford them.
This is why AMD has planned to release the more affordable AMD Krackan Point at the beginning of 2025 so that more OEMs can adopt and utilize their chips. At the moment, the Strix Point APUs haven't been used even in a single gaming handheld despite many manufacturers entering the market. This is definitely due to the price point of these APUs but the most important thing is AMD's chip supply.
Apart from not having budget chips like the Krackan Point right now, AMD has not been able to solve its chip supply problem which forces some of its partners to go with alternatives. While AMD does power the Steam Deck, ASUS ROG Ally, and various other handhelds, no one among these companies has adopted the Strix Point for the next-gen consoles. Instead, it's speculated that these companies will go after the Z2 Extreme we talked about earlier.
That said, AMD Krackan Point APUs will solve this problem as they offer an 8-core configuration with a 4x Zen 5 and 4x Zen 5c combination, featuring up to 50 TOPS of NPU performance.
This will enable the AMD Krackan Point APU-based devices to get Copilot+ certification but most importantly, the Krackan Point will bring faster GPU based on RDNA 3.5 graphics compared to the previous generations. It won't be as good as the Strix Point due to bringing 8 Compute Units compared to 16 on the latter but it will be surely enough to replace the existing AMD chip on the Steam Deck.
AMD Ryzen Mobility CPUs:
| CPU Family Name | AMD Sound Wave? | AMD Bald Eagle Point | AMD Krackan Point | AMD Fire Range | AMD Strix Point Halo | AMD Strix Point | AMD Hawk Point | AMD Dragon Range | AMD Phoenix | AMD Rembrandt | AMD Cezanne | AMD Renoir | AMD Picasso | AMD Raven Ridge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Family Branding | TBD | Ryzen AI 400 | TBD | TBD | Ryzen AI 300 | Ryzen AI 300 | AMD Ryzen 8040 (H/U-Series) | AMD Ryzen 7045 (HX-Series) | AMD Ryzen 7040 (H/U-Series) | AMD Ryzen 6000 AMD Ryzen 7035 | AMD Ryzen 5000 (H/U-Series) | AMD Ryzen 4000 (H/U-Series) | AMD Ryzen 3000 (H/U-Series) | AMD Ryzen 2000 (H/U-Series) |
| Process Node | TBD | 4nm | 4nm | 5nm | 4nm | 4nm | 4nm | 5nm | 4nm | 6nm | 7nm | 7nm | 12nm | 14nm |
| CPU Core Architecture | Zen 6? | Zen 5 + Zen 5C | Zen 5 | Zen 5 | Zen 5 + Zen 5C | Zen 5 + Zen 5C | Zen 4 + Zen 4C | Zen 4 | Zen 4 | Zen 3+ | Zen 3 | Zen 2 | Zen + | Zen 1 |
| CPU Cores/Threads (Max) | TBD | 12/24 | 8/16 | 16/32 | 16/32 | 12/24 | 8/16 | 16/32 | 8/16 | 8/16 | 8/16 | 8/16 | 4/8 | 4/8 |
| L2 Cache (Max) | TBD | 12 MB | TBD | TBD | 24 MB | 12 MB | 4 MB | 16 MB | 4 MB | 4 MB | 4 MB | 4 MB | 2 MB | 2 MB |
| L3 Cache (Max) | TBD | 24 MB + 16 MB SLC | 32 MB | TBD | 64 MB + 32 MB SLC | 24 MB | 16 MB | 32 MB | 16 MB | 16 MB | 16 MB | 8 MB | 4 MB | 4 MB |
| Max CPU Clocks | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD | 5.1 GHz | TBD | 5.4 GHz | 5.2 GHz | 5.0 GHz (Ryzen 9 6980HX) | 4.80 GHz (Ryzen 9 5980HX) | 4.3 GHz (Ryzen 9 4900HS) | 4.0 GHz (Ryzen 7 3750H) | 3.8 GHz (Ryzen 7 2800H) |
| GPU Core Architecture | RDNA 3+ iGPU | RDNA 3.5 4nm iGPU | RDNA 3+ 4nm iGPU | RDNA 3+ 4nm iGPU | RDNA 3.5 4nm iGPU | RDNA 3.5 4nm iGPU | RDNA 3 4nm iGPU | RDNA 2 6nm iGPU | RDNA 3 4nm iGPU | RDNA 2 6nm iGPU | Vega Enhanced 7nm | Vega Enhanced 7nm | Vega 14nm | Vega 14nm |
| Max GPU Cores | TBD | 16 CUs (1024 Cores) | 12 CUs (786 cores) | 2 CUs (128 cores) | 40 CUs (2560 Cores) | 16 CUs (1024 Cores) | 12 CUs (786 cores) | 2 CUs (128 cores) | 12 CUs (786 cores) | 12 CUs (786 cores) | 8 CUs (512 cores) | 8 CUs (512 cores) | 10 CUs (640 Cores) | 11 CUs (704 cores) |
| Max GPU Clocks | TBD | 2900 MHz | TBD | TBD | TBD | 2900 MHz | 2800 MHz | 2200 MHz | 2800 MHz | 2400 MHz | 2100 MHz | 1750 MHz | 1400 MHz | 1300 MHz |
| TDP (cTDP Down/Up) | TBD | 15W-45W (65W cTDP) | 15W-45W (65W cTDP) | 55W-75W (65W cTDP) | 55W-125W | 15W-45W (65W cTDP) | 15W-45W (65W cTDP) | 55W-75W (65W cTDP) | 15W-45W (65W cTDP) | 15W-55W (65W cTDP) | 15W -54W(54W cTDP) | 15W-45W (65W cTDP) | 12-35W (35W cTDP) | 35W-45W (65W cTDP) |
| Launch | 2026? | 2025? | 2025? | 2H 2024? | 2H 2024? | 2H 2024 | Q1 2024 | Q1 2023 | Q2 2023 | Q1 2022 | Q1 2021 | Q2 2020 | Q1 2019 | Q4 2018 |
News Source: Computerbase
About the author: Sarfraz Khan is a hardware reporter with a focus on PC components and the builder community. With years of experience writing about PC hardware and laptops, his work has been featured on several reputable technology publications. Sarfraz's hands-on experience is demonstrated through his first-person accounts of using and comparing different hardware configurations, providing practical and relatable insights for everyday users. His technical analysis is respected by peers in the enthusiast community and has been cited by specialized hardware sites such as Germany's Igor's Lab.
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