AMD Kraken Point APUs with Zen 5 and RDNA 3.5 set for 2025 launch

AMD has announced its plans to introduce new Ryzen APUs under the "Krackan" series in 2025. These APUs will come with Zen 5 CPU cores, RDNA 3.5 graphics, and an XDNA 2 NPU.

While AMD has already launched higher-end Zen 5 mobile CPUs like Strix Point, Krackan is designed for more affordable laptops, maintaining the XDNA 2 NPU of its higher-end counterpart to prepare for the AI era. The new CPU design will incorporate four Zen 5 CPU cores and four additional Zen 5c CPU cores. Additionally, it will integrate an RDNA 3.5 graphics chip with eight compute units, similar to Valve’s Steam Deck. This promises significant gaming potential for AMD’s budget-focused Zen 5 mobile CPU.

AMD is currently unable to address its chip supply problem, resulting in some partners seeking alternatives. Despite powering devices like the Steam Deck, ASUS ROG Ally, and other handhelds, AMD’s partners have yet to adopt the Strix Point for next-gen consoles. Instead, it is speculated that these companies will opt for the previously mentioned Z2 Extreme.

However, the upcoming AMD Krackan Point APUs will address this issue by offering an 8-core configuration with a 4x Zen 5 and 4x Zen 5c combination, providing up to 50 TOPS of NPU performance. This will enable AMD Krackan Point APU-based devices to obtain Copilot+ certification, and most significantly, Krackan Point will introduce faster GPU based on RDNA 3.5 graphics compared to previous generations. Although not as powerful as Strix Point due to having 8 Compute Units compared to 16 in the latter, it will be sufficient to replace the existing AMD chip on the Steam Deck.

With a launch planned for 2025, we can anticipate the new series of AMD mobile CPUs at CES 2025. Rumors suggest that AMD is also preparing to launch a high-end Zen 5 mobile CPU named "Strix Halo," which is expected to feature a larger integrated graphics chip and more Zen 5 CPU cores. With these three Zen 5 mobile chips, AMD's offerings will cover the entire laptop CPU market. With Strix Halo, their graphics performance may even surpass some discrete GPU products. Until then, you can explore our comparator to find great deals on your next favorite game.