At the International CES 2025, AMD officially introduced the latest addition to its Ryzen AI 300 series, codenamed "Krackan Point." This mid-range processor maintains the hybrid design of the Zen 5 architecture, mirroring the high-end Strix Point series with Zen 5 and Zen 5c cores, yet offering a more balanced core distribution that provides consumers with a cost-effective choice. The benchmark data for the flagship model, the Ryzen AI 7 350, has been circulating online, demonstrating its performance promise and garnering attention from tech enthusiasts and IT professionals alike.

The Ryzen AI 7 350 boasts an 8-core, 16-thread configuration with four high-performance Zen 5 cores and another four high-efficiency Zen 5c cores. It features a Radeon 860M integrated GPU based on the RDNA 3.5 architecture, equipped with eight compute units. With a thermal design power of 28 watts, this APU is ideal for thin and light laptops and mid-range devices. In the Cinebench R23 test, it achieved a score of 1,943 in single-core and 14,607 in multi-core, rivalling the single-core performance and surpassing the multi-core results of the Ryzen AI 7 Pro 360 (1,958 single-core and 13,794 multi-core) from the Strix Point lineup. Compared to the previous-generation Hawk Point architecture Ryzen 7 8845HS (1766 single-core, 16161 multi-core), Krackan Point shows substantial improvement in single-core performance but falls slightly behind in multi-core tests due to the full-performance configuration of Zen 4 cores.

Further examining the Cinebench 2024 results, the Ryzen AI 7 350 scores 114 single-core and 820 multi-core, closely matching the Ryzen AI 7 Pro 360 (108 single-core and 708 multi-core), although the multi-core performance gap widens when compared to the Ryzen 7 8845HS (104 single-core and 896 multi-core). This highlights Krackan Point's design compromises: optimizing power consumption and single-core efficiency by mixing cores, while sacrificing some multi-core computing power to fit the mainstream market.

The testing was conducted on the ASUS LINGUA 16 Air, the Chinese version of the ASUS ZenBook S16, a device launched at CES 2025. It showcases the real-world application potential of Krackan Point, particularly in the thin and light laptop segment. Notably, the Ryzen AI 7 350 is equipped with the XDNA 2 Neural Processing Unit (NPU), delivering up to 50 TOPS of AI computations and meeting Microsoft's Copilot+ PC certification standards. This makes it suitable for everyday productivity and supportive of AI-driven functionalities such as real-time caption generation and image processing, offering a smarter user experience.

The launch of the Krackan Point series fills a gap in the mid-range market for the Ryzen AI 300 family. Unlike the high-end focus of Strix Point and the forthcoming Strix Halo flagship, Krackan Point prioritizes price/performance, aiming at the notebook sector priced under $800. This strategy aligns with consumer expectations for the widespread adoption of the Zen 5 architecture and strengthens AMD's position in the fiercely competitive mobile processor arena. Krackan Point-equipped devices are anticipated to hit the market in the first quarter of 2025.

Broadly speaking, Krackan Point's competition extends beyond AMD's own Hawk Point series to include Intel's Lunar Lake and the upcoming Arrow Lake mobile processors. Lunar Lake asserts its presence in the thin and light notebook market through its superior power efficiency, whereas Krackan Point competes by blending performance and cost to address the competition. Benchmarks show that the Ryzen AI 7 350 demonstrates competitiveness, scoring 2,677 single-core and 11,742 multi-core in Geekbench 6, outperforming Lunar Lake's Core Ultra 7 258V (~2,500 single-core and ~10,500 multi-core). However, it remains behind Apple's M4 chip (single-core over 3700), particularly in energy efficiency and extreme graphics performance optimization.

Krackan Point's significance lies not just in performance but also in its potential applications. Rumors suggest that this architecture might give rise to a Ryzen Z2 Extreme chip, intended for the next generation of handheld gaming devices, succeeding the current Z1 Extreme. The integration of Krackan Point's Zen 5 and RDNA 3.5 is expected to significantly enhance gaming frame rates and battery life compared to the Zen 2 and RDNA 2-based Steam Deck chips, making it a possible game-changer in the 2025 handheld gaming device market.

Additionally, the Krackan Point supports LPDDR5X-8000 memory, further boosting bandwidth efficiency for multitasking and graphics performance. Even though the eight compute units of its integrated GPU are fewer than the Strix Point's 16, they are ample for 1080p gaming and light content creation. Coupled with its lower power consumption, the chip shows promise for use in thin and light notebooks, mini PCs, and even embedded devices. For instance, the ASUS ExpertCenter PN54 mini PC revealed at CES 2025 utilizes the Ryzen AI 7 350, catering to the commercial market with its compact design and formidable performance.

Krackan Point's launch underscores AMD's comprehensive strategy for the mobile computing market in 2025. From the high-end Strix Halo to the mainstream Krackan Point and the upcoming Hawk Point Refresh (Ryzen 200 series), AMD addresses diverse needs with distinct product lines. For technology enthusiasts, the chip's value proposition and AI capabilities are eagerly anticipated, while IT professionals may view it as a harbinger of the next wave of hardware upgrades.