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Image: Mark Hachman / IDG
Intel has no plans for a desktop CPU with AI capabilities until later this year, so PC manufacturers are turning to chip startups instead – the future may involve the Lenovo ThinkCentre Neo Ultra, which could possibly include AI cards from MemryX and Kinara.
Lenovo will release the ThinkCentre Neo Ultra in June for about $1,000, product manager Bryan Lin said at Lenovo’s booth at CES 2024. Although Lenovo’s documentation does not officially include either AI processor, it is likely. The small content-creation desktop was at CES showcasing both AI cards.
Although AMD, Intel and Qualcomm have demonstrated mobile processors with integrated AI NPUs, only AMD has announced a desktop Ryzen processor with an APU inside. Intel will have to wait until the Arrow Lake launch to make an NPU available for desktop PC manufacturers, but they still hold the majority share in the PC processor industry.
More PC manufacturers are recognizing that an “AI PC” can actually be constructed with just a CPU and a GPU, while NPUs provide more power-efficient AI. This may be sufficient for desktop PC manufacturers, who traditionally have fewer concerns about power consumption. However, businesses, which aim to apply AI to make money, want AI now — and are concerned about minimizing power consumption at scale. This is an area where the business market may push ahead of consumer PCs.
At CES 2024, Lenovo is showing off its ThinkCentre Neo Ultra with AI accelerators from both Memryx (left) and Kinara running AI applications.
Mark Hachman / IDG
“What we’re seeing now is that the discrete graphics card is too hungry in terms of form factor and power, thermal design, etc.,” Lin said. “So an NPU card drawing about 5 to 10 watts can give us a certain level of AI capabilities.”
But what about when Arrow Lake debuts?
“With Arrow Lake what I’m getting is that it’s still very limited [in terms of] power,” Lin said. “So, at least eighteen to twenty-four months from now, I think discrete [AI accelerators] will still be part of it. And especially for desktop, where we don’t have the limitation of battery.”
Intel’s next move will be to bring Arrow Lake an its AI NPU to the desktop.
Mark Hachman / IDG
The ThinkCentre Neo Ultra will include up to an Intel Core i9 vPro processor of an undisclosed architecture, with up to 64GB of DDR5-5200 memory. It will also include a creator-class Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 GPU, up to 4TB of SSD storage, with a 350W internal power supply. It’s a 3.6-liter chassis, measuring 7.67 x 7.67 x 4.21in.
Lenovo has what it is calling an AI engine, routing workloads to where it fits the most, Lin said.
Lenovo’s ThinkCentre Neo Ultra, shown off at CES 2024. » …
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