Forget the better-known CES trade mega-show. When it comes to computing news, Computex in Taiwan is the place to be every May or June. PCMag is on the ground in Taipei, covering the latest announcements from the world’s foremost chip makers, computer manufacturers, and parts vendors.Computex 2024 runs from Monday, June 3, through Friday, June 7, with the first day being a “media day” stacked with press conferences. As a result, expect the lion’s share of the big news to come through during the first day or two, with the rest of the show dedicated to getting deeper looks at everything announced on stage at the various keynotes.
(Credit: John Burek)
Of course, the keynote presenter list is stuffed with the biggest names in computing: AMD, Intel, Nvidia, and Qualcomm. With the vast shadow of AI looming over the show like a hovering Zeppelin once again, expect to see lots of announcements aimed at advancing the technology to the next logical stage: AI handled entirely, locally, by your computer.Below, we’ve detailed everything we’re anticipating from the show, including predictions of the next moves in the AI revolution and trends in laptop and desktop design. Here’s what we expect to see at Computex 2024.Intel’s Latest Lakes: More Detail, With a Blast of ‘Battlemage’Qualcomm took most of the early chip maker headlines heading into Computex, thanks to its AI-ready Snapdragon X Elite chip powering the first wave of Microsoft’s Copilot+ PCs. Intel, though, announced that Copilot+ PCs based on its next processor platform, dubbed “Lunar Lake,” are on the way later this year. Like the Snapdragon X, Lunar Lake chips include a neural processing unit (NPU) for handling AI workloads locally, and Intel’s initial details have included claims of superior performance to Snapdragon.
(Credit: John Burek)
Intel’s most recent announcement around Lunar Lake was more of a teaser, serving as a first look at the new architecture and a few very specific speed claims. We expect to learn more about the chips and the products they will appear inside at Computex. Intel’s roadmap also showed that the next step beyond Lunar Lake is the “Arrow Lake” platform: This is where Intel’s mobile AI chips will scale to the desktop level, so we may hear more about that, too. Speaking of desktops, Intel’s next-generation GPUs, codenamed “Battlemage,” have been on the burner for some time. This may be where we finally see them in full since Intel has confirmed that Lunar Lake mobile processors will employ Battlemage integrated graphics. So, a combined unveiling with discrete Battlemage graphics could happen. Intel’s keynote is scheduled for June 4 at 11 a.m. Tawan local time (11 p.m. ET on June 3), a day after AMD and Qualcomm hold their own addresses, so stay tuned. —Matthew Buzzi, Senior AnalystAMD: Details on ‘Zen 5’ and RDNA4 Silicon?AMD opens Computex with a keynote address from CEO Lisa Su. Though its main topic isn’t clear, AI will surely factor into it significantly. AMD has been busy in many areas, so we’ll likely see several exciting new products.AMD’s roadmap shows that its upcoming Zen 5 architecture will be released in the second half of 2024. We may see Ryzen 9000-series processors built on this architecture during the keynote, but a launch would likely come much later as we’ve yet to see many 8000-series Ryzen chips. (Just a few G-series CPUs like the Ryzen 7 8700G and a few AI-equipped mobile processors.)
(Credit: John Burek)
We’ve also heard rumors that AMD will release its next generation of graphics cards soon, and Computex would be an ideal venue for that. The first of AMD’s Radeon RX 7000-series GPUs was released two years ago, and the timing is right for when I would expect to see a new generation of graphics cards from AMD. When it happens, you can also expect a switch to GDDR7 video memory, finalized earlier this year and promising a theoretical 50% increase in bandwidth over current GDDR6 technology.AMD may also have news of new data-center AI hardware (perhaps some version of its MI300 AI accelerators) and possible new NPU-style silicon going into its new CPUs, GPUs, or both. The keynote is scheduled for Monday, June 3, at 9:30 a.m. Taiwan local time; that’s Sunday night, June 2, in the USA. We’ll have the news as it goes live. —Michael Sexton, Analyst2023 Darling Nvidia Looks to Maintain AI MomentumNvidia has become synonymous with AI, already indicating its intent to focus on the technology during its Computex keynote, set to kick off on Sunday, June 2, at 7 p.m. Taiwan local time. Nvidia clearly expects to attract a large gathering at its event—it booked an entire sports stadium for the shindig. After all, AI has been a huge factor contributing to Nvidia’s ballooning stock price, thanks to its AI accelerators like the Grace Hopper superchip.
(Credit: John Burek)
Though AI will certainly be central to Nvidia’s keynote, we may also see news on its upcoming Blackwell-architecture-based GeForce RTX 50-series graphics cards. Late last year, Nvidia also promised to move to an annual product cycle, but it wasn’t clear whether that would apply to its consumer graphics business or just its data center AI efforts. Since its graphics and AI technologies are closely intertwined, we may see new Nvidia GPUs annually. These new cards are also thought to feature GDDR7 memory, giving them that theoretical 50% boost.We have also heard rumors that Nvidia intends to launch a new project using Arm processors to follow in the footsteps of its Tegra (most popularly seen in the Nintendo Switch) and “Project Denver” products. —M.S.Qualcomm: More Snapdragon SplashesLast week’s Microsoft Surface announcements were a major milestone for a chip maker mainly known for its smartphone processors. With Microsoft’s announcement of Snapdragon-powered Copilot+ PCs, the Qualcomm party shows big signs of life. About a dozen other Qualcomm-powered PCs were announced alongside the Surface models, and we expect to see those same systems and more at Computex.
(Credit: John Burek)
Qualcomm’s CEO, Cristiano Amon, will host a keynote event titled “The PC Reborn,” during which he is expected to reintroduce the new batch of Qualcomm-powered systems coming to market on June 18—just after Computex. Expect a closer look at the first Snapdragon systems and more details about their performance. With systems from brands like Acer, Asus, Dell, HP, Lenovo, and Samsung and a Snapdragon-powered desktop dev kit on the way, Qualcomm is making a big play for a piece of the laptop pie. I have every reason to think we haven’t seen everything yet. Qualcomm’s keynote will stream live on June 3 at 1:30 a.m. ET (1:30 p.m. Taiwan local time) via the Snapdragon YouTube channel. —Brian Westover, Lead AnalystAI OverdriveThe AI trend was already a major theme at last year’s Computex, but now that Microsoft has declared this the “Era of the AI PC,” you can expect to see AI efforts everywhere in the computing world.First, expect an NPU in every newly announced chip line and most new mobile systems. Whether powered by Intel, AMD, or newcomer Qualcomm, dedicated silicon for AI-powered tasks is now a must-have for Windows machines, so expect this added chip component to become ubiquitous.
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(Credit: John Burek)
Windows Copilot is now packed with AI-powered functions and features, from background enhancement of webcam video and audio to powerful functions like Recall file retrieval and Cocreator, which powers up Paint with generative AI images based on your prompts and sketches. These are Microsoft’s broad features for all Windows users, so will manufacturers rush in to produce branded software that leverages AI? I’d bet good money on it.Last, a rumored team-up between powerhouse Nvidia and smaller chip manufacturer MediaTek promises a Snapdragon-like SoC to power AI PCs in the near future. A recent Bloomberg interview with Dell CEO Michael Dell and Nvidia’s Jensen Huang hanging together at the recent Dell World conference also seemed to hint at a new Dell and Nvidia partnership around AI, which could be yet another new bit of hardware aimed at the nascent AI PC category. Suffice it to say that AI will certainly be the key theme of Computex 2024. —B.W.Laptop Looking Glass: More Smarts and an OLED WaveComputex has a reputation as a show centered on desktop PCs, but it has challenged that rep for the past few years, with 2024 set to flip the script entirely. Expect to see not only lots of fresh chips to support new laptops but also count on seeing quite a few new notebooks on display.
(Credit: John Burek)
AMD and Intel are poised to announce both desktop processors and fresh mobile silicon, with AMD’s Zen 5 and Intel’s Lunar Lake chips anticipated to make a splash. Naturally, these new processors should feature enhanced AI silicon in their NPUs, ramping up the x86 world’s war with the Arm64 instruction set led by Qualcomm’s emerging Snapdragon X chips. Likewise, Qualcomm could have even more to tell about Snapdragon X before its big Copilot+ PC launch with Microsoft in mid-June. Remember, competition can only be good for the end products, with each chipmaker having much more to prove now with this new AI battleground.Happy byproducts of this silicon arms race are increased efficiency, as we’ve seen these new chips already drive longer battery life figures in Intel’s first wave of Core Ultra chips, and an uptick in supporting technologies, with laptop vendors looking for ways to keep ahead of competitors. The two most popular pieces of supporting tech we’ll likely see are more Wi-Fi 7 radios and OLED screens, which are noticeable upgrades for most anyone buying a new laptop this year. —Joe Osborne, Deputy Managing EditorPC Building Trendsetting in TaiwanThe big four motherboard manufacturers are based in Taiwan, so they usually come out in force during Computex to show off new models. Expect to see this taken to a new level as new AMD and Intel platforms are anticipated, and motherboards are sure to follow. Intel’s next-generation desktop processors, code-named “Arrow Lake,” will require a new socket and chipset, thus ushering in a whole new platform.
(Credit: John Burek)
AMD’s next generation of chips will likely continue to work with many existing AM5 motherboards, but updated chipsets might extend the feature set of the AM5 platform. One key feature we will likely see is more common support for PCI Express 5.0 support to help extend the support of PCIe 5.0 M.2 SSDs in speedsters like the Crucial T705.As for the chassis that hold these towers of power, PC cases are one of the most diverse segments of the PC industry, with makes and models beyond counting. Case makers traditionally use Computex to show off new, unique designs. Curved glass and built-in screens were in fashion in the 2023 edition, so we’re left wondering what will be en vogue now. We’ll likely see more curved glass panels and screens built into cases, but case makers are always hunting for the next thing to differentiate their designs. Exactly what that will be is unclear, making this end of the show a mystery. –M.S.
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