On the 6th, Jensen Huang's CES Keynote Precedes AMD, Qualcomm, and Intel New Product Launches
Mixed Fortunes... Only Intel's Stock Plummets Amid Intense Focus
NVIDIA Expected to Deliver Messages on AI and Robotics
Raoul Tiku, Vice President of AMD, is holding the new CPU 'Ryzen AI Max' at the CES 2025 press conference held on the 6th (local time) at the Mandalay Bay Hotel in Las Vegas. Photo by Reuters Yonhap News
On the 6th (local time), a day before the opening of CES 2025, semiconductor companies unveiled a large number of new AI-related products. This was a preemptive move ahead of the keynote speech by Jensen Huang, CEO of NVIDIA, which is considered the 'main event' of this year's exhibition. On the same day, Jensen Huang is expected to expand NVIDIA's business scope beyond AI graphics processing units (GPUs) to AI support software and robotics, signaling a step ahead in the intensifying competition in the AI market.
The companies that announced new products at CES 2025 were AMD, Qualcomm, and Intel. AMD and Intel introduced CPUs and GPUs for AI PCs, while Qualcomm also showcased AI PC chips.
AMD, which directly competes with NVIDIA in both CPU and GPU sectors, announced new products without the attendance of CEO Lisa Su. AMD's offensive weapons were the 'Ryzen AI Max' and the 'Ryzen 9000 series.' These CPUs secure NPU performance required for AI support as demanded by Microsoft, targeting the Windows AI PC market. AMD stated, "The Ryzen AI Max series will process AI tasks up to 90% faster than the previous generation." Both products directly target Intel's Luna Lake and Arrow Lake CPUs, which were introduced late last year.
AMD emphasized that Dell Technologies plans to use its chips in some PCs for business customers. While Dell, as a server and PC manufacturer, uses AMD chips in consumer products, this is the first time AMD chips will be installed in enterprise PCs. Dell's move is something Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics should also watch closely, as it is rare for major PC manufacturers to use AMD CPUs in business laptops.
AMD also unveiled new products aimed at NVIDIA. These are the latest gaming GPUs, Radeon RX 9070 XT and RX 9070. Although competition with NVIDIA's RTX 5090, expected to be revealed by Jensen Huang a few hours later, will be difficult, AMD's intention is understood as a determination not to slow down the chase.
Qualcomm, expanding from mobile chips to PC chips, unveiled the Snapdragon X chip targeting mid-range laptops and desktops. While it does not match the performance of the previously announced Snapdragon X Elite and X Plus, it establishes a line for more affordable laptops. Qualcomm expects AI laptops using Snapdragon X chips to be released in the $600 range. Following its entry into the laptop market last year with chips based on the Orion CPU developed by former Apple engineers, Qualcomm plans to enter the desktop PC market this year.
Intel introduced the 'Core Ultra 200' series CPUs on the same day to defend its position, but the impact was muted. Concerns over declining competitiveness caused Intel's stock price to plunge 3.36% on the Nasdaq market that day, damaging its reputation. In contrast, AMD rose 3.33%, and Qualcomm increased by 1.28%. Intel was the only semiconductor stock to decline amid a general surge in semiconductor shares. Investment media Benzinga evaluated that Intel is being pushed out of the market by the offensive of AMD and NVIDIA.
Attempts to check NVIDIA appear ineffective. NVIDIA's stock price rose 3.4% that day, closing at $149.43, reaching $152 during the session. NVIDIA is known to be focusing on reducing GPU dependency by leveraging its powerful GPU development capabilities to expand into cloud business as well as AI for robotics.
Recently, NVIDIA has continued efforts to secure competitiveness in the AI era, including acquiring Israeli AI startup 'Run:AI' for about 1 trillion won.
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