AMD’s Next-Gen Strix Halo & Krackan Point “Ryzen AI” Zen 5 APUs Confirmed, NPU IDs Also Revealed

AMD has added official support for its next-gen Zen 5-powered Strix Halo & Krackan Point "Ryzen AI" APUs which launch next year.

AMD's Zen 5-Powered Strix Halo & Krackan Point "Ryzen AI" APUs Listed Officially In Ryzen AI Software Along with NPU PCI IDs

AMD recently released its latest Ryzen AI Software 1.2, offering many optimizations for laptops running on AMD Ryzen AI processors such as the recently launched Ryzen AI 300 "Strix" CPUs.

That said, AMD can be seen already preparing for the upcoming enthusiast-grade Strix Halo APUs, which will boast a multi-chiplet design based on the Zen 5 architecture. Furthermore, the support for the Kraken Point APUs can also be seen in the new driver. Following are the listings in the new software update:

The AMD Ryzen AI Software 1.2 update also gives us a sneak peek at the latest added silicon revisions. The 'STXH' or Strix Halo can be seen under the '2nd' gen silicon revisions. Additionally, Kraken Point also appears on the list but apparently, it is being named "Krackan", which suggests the codename change for this series as Kraken Point hasn't been declared as the official name by the company. Additionally, the new software update also exposes the PCI IDs for the NPU as the following:

Both Strix Halo and Krackan will feature the Zen 5 architecture but Strix Halo is prepared for a high-end notebook lineup, bringing as many as 16 cores based on the Zen 5 architecture with the most powerful integrated graphics known to date, offering up to 40 compute units.

AMD Ryzen AI HX Strix Halo Expected Features:

• Zen 5 Chiplet Design
• Up To 16 Cores
• 64 MB of Shared L3 cache
• 40 RDNA 3+ Compute Units
• 32 MB MALL Cache (for iGPU)
• 256-bit LPDDR5X-8000 Memory Controller
• XDNA 2 Engine Integrated
• Up To 60 AI TOPS
• 16 PCIe Gen4 Lanes
• 1H 2025 Launch (Expected)
• FP11 Platform (55W-130W)

On the other hand, Krackan will be a Monolithic design, featuring a hybrid architecture comprising up to 4x Zen 5 and 4x Zen 5c cores for power-efficient operation. Compared to a max 40CU RDNA 3.5-based graphics on the Strix Halo, the Krackan is reported to max out at 8CU RDNA 3.5 graphics.

According to recent information by Golden Pig Upgrade over at Bilibili, it is revealed that Krackan Point will utilize the same FP8 socket as Strix Point and Phoenix Point APUs. The APU will feature both DDR5 and LPDDR5x configurations on the FP8 platform. The lineup also comes with the new XDNA 2 "Ryzen AI" NPUs, offering 50-55 TOPS.

AMD Ryzen AI HX Krackan Point Expected Features:

• Zen 5 Monolithic Design
• Up To 8 Cores (4x Zen 5 + 4x Zen 5C)
• 16 MB of Shared L3 cache
• 8 RDNA 3.5 Compute Units
• LPDDR5X+DDR5 Support
• XDNA 2 Engine Integrated
• Up To 50 AI TOPS
• 1H 2025 Launch
• FP8 Platform (15W-45W)

AMD's Krackan Point "Zen 5" APUs will replace Hawk Point "Zen 4" APUs and are rumored to work in a 15W-45W TDP range. These APUs make a lot more sense for the handheld gaming segment & we can see those being offered in the first half of 2025 once supply gets better. Given the performance uplift that RDNA 3.5 offers over RDNA 3 iGPUs, these will be a nice upgrade.

Nonetheless, both Strix Halo and Krackan aren't going to appear before 2025, which will also see the launch of the upcoming Fire Range CPU, boasting the same FL1 package as the Dragon Range. It's not the first time we have seen Kraken Point being in the talks as previously the lineup was also seen in an Open-Source Linux Driver in June, suggesting that AMD is probably going to reveal it at CES 2025.

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: Hoang Anh Phu

Follow Wccftech on Google to get more of our news coverage in your feeds.