AMD pushes “AI for everyone” with new PC processors at CES 2026
AMD Chair and CEO Lisa Su opened the company’s CES 2026 keynote with a clear message about where personal computing is headed: “AI for everyone.” Framing artificial intelligence as the next foundational layer of the PC experience, the semiconductor company introduced a new lineup of AI-focused processors designed to accelerate everyday tasks such as multitasking, content creation and gaming.
The headline announcement was the AMD Ryzen AI 400 Series, the latest generation of the company’s AI-powered PC chips. Unveiled at the annual Consumer Electronics Show on Monday, the new processors build on the company’s earlier push into so-called “AI PCs,” a category that blends traditional CPU and graphics performance with dedicated hardware and software features aimed at running AI workloads more efficiently on-device.
Ryzen AI 400 Series: performance claims and core specs
According to AMD, the Ryzen AI 400 Series delivers notable gains over competing processors in common consumer workflows. The company said the new chips enable 1.3x faster multitasking than competitors and are 1.7x faster at content creation, positioning the lineup as a performance upgrade for users who juggle multiple applications or rely on creative tools for video, photo and design work.
AMD also highlighted the underlying hardware configuration. The processors include 12 CPU cores—individual processing units inside the chip—and 24 threads, which are independent streams of instruction that can help improve performance in workloads that benefit from parallel processing.
The announcement continues the company’s recent cadence of AI PC releases. The Ryzen AI 400 Series follows the Ryzen AI 300 Series, which AMD introduced in 2024, and extends a broader product family the company has been building since it began producing its Ryzen processor line in 2017.
AMD says AI PC platform count has doubled
At a press briefing around the launch, Rahul Tikoo, senior vice president and general manager of AMD’s client business, said the company has expanded to more than 250 AI PC platforms. He described the figure as a roughly 2x increase over the last year, underscoring the pace at which PC makers are adopting AI-branded hardware configurations and the ecosystem support needed to bring them to market.
“In the years ahead, AI is going to be a multi-layered fabric that gets woven into every level of computing at the personal layer,” Tikoo said. He added that AMD expects AI-enabled PCs and devices to reshape how people “work, play, create and connect,” pointing to a future where AI features become a default part of everyday computing rather than a specialized add-on.
Beyond productivity: a new gaming-focused chip
Alongside the AI PC push, AMD also announced the AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D, the latest version of its gaming-focused processor line. While the company did not detail a full set of benchmarks in the announcement, the product signals AMD’s intent to keep advancing high-performance desktop and gaming silicon even as attention shifts toward AI-enabled experiences.
“No matter who you are and how you use technology on a daily basis, AI is reshaping everyday computing,” Tikoo said. He argued that the PC remains central to daily life, with “thousands of interactions” per day, and that AI can add value through context awareness, automation, reasoning and personalization.
Redstone ray tracing update targets higher-fidelity graphics
AMD also used the CES stage to introduce the newest version of its Redstone ray tracing technology. Ray tracing is a graphics technique that simulates the physical behavior of light to produce more realistic reflections, shadows and illumination in games and other 3D applications.
The company said the updated Redstone technology is designed to improve visual quality while avoiding the performance penalties that can accompany advanced rendering methods—an important consideration for gamers who want higher fidelity without sacrificing frame rates or responsiveness.
Availability: first quarter of 2026
AMD said PCs featuring either the Ryzen AI 300 Series processor or the new AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D will become available in the first quarter of 2026. The company did not provide additional timing details for systems built around the newly announced Ryzen AI 400 Series during the initial remarks, but positioned the lineup as the next step in its broader AI PC roadmap.
With the CES announcements, AMD is reinforcing a strategy centered on bringing more AI capabilities onto consumer devices, emphasizing performance improvements for mainstream workflows and pairing those efforts with continued investments in gaming hardware and graphics technologies.
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