AMD closed out 2020 with a bang thanks to the launch of its latest Ryzen processors and Radeon graphics cards, both of which garnered critical acclaim from press and satisfaction among gaming fans.
With CES around the corner, AMD is expected to take the virtual stage once again with CEO Lisa Su “presenting the AMD vision for the future of research, education, work, entertainment and gaming, including a portfolio of high-performance computing and graphics solutions,” the company stated, without giving any further details on what products could be unveiled.
Su’s keynote is scheduled for January 12. Given the ongoing state of the pandemic, CES is switching to an entirely virtual format, which is good news for tech fans. For gamers interested in the latest announcements from AMD, this means that unlike in previous years, you won’t have to be in attendance in Las Vegas to follow along. The company’s press conference will be livestreamed and open to the public this year.
How to watch AMD’s CES 2021 keynote
Su’s keynote is expected to kick off at 8 a.m. PT/11 a.m. ET on January 12. Like AMD’s recent Ryzen 5000 desktop unveiling and its debut of the Radeon RX 6000 graphics cards, fans can tune in on AMD’s YouTube channel or visit AMD’s CES page to watch the stream live.
Once we have a direct link to the livestream, we’ll embed it into this post.
If you’re unable to tune in live, you can also follow Digital Trends’ CES 2021 coverage for all the latest news about AMD and other technology companies from the trade show.
What to expect from AMD’s CES event
AMD
Though AMD did not hint at what could be announced, we expect the company to provide updates on its console, PC, and mobile platforms. AMD’s RDNA 2 graphics architecture is found in the latest gaming consoles from Microsoft and Sony, including the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5, and desktop PCs sport its Radeon RX 6000 graphics. Its desktop processor, the Ryzen 5000 series, has been a hit with gamers. Given that these products were introduced in just the last few months, we don’t expect AMD to announce any next-generation chips, but there are bound to be a couple of surprises in AMD’s presentation.
We can likely expect AMD to announce its mobile products at CES 2021. Given the success of Ryzen 4000 mobile processors on laptops, the company could likely use the venue to debut its next-generation — though unconfirmed — Ryzen 5000 mobile chipset. Ryzen 5000 mobile CPUs are expected to be based on the same Zen 3 architecture that AMD debuted on the desktop variant, and the company will likely focus on performance uplift, energy efficiency, and gaming.
If this does happen, AMD will likely showcase a few mobile designs from some of its partners. With Ryzen 4000, notable partners include Acer, Asus, Dell, HP, and Lenovo. With Ryzen 5000 mobile, we can expect a range of laptops ranging from slim and light designs that will compete with Intel-powered Ultrabooks to gaming-centric notebooks that either pair with AMD’s Radeon graphics or even the next-gen mobile graphics from Nvidia. For reference, Nvidia has yet to announce its GeForce RTX 3000 series GPUs for laptops.
Ryzen 5000 mobile notebooks will also allow AMD to take on rival Intel’s 11th-gen Tiger Lake processors, renewing the rivalry between the two companies.
It’s also unclear if AMD will address the recent shortages that have plagued its recent desktop silicon. as well as GPUs from Nvidia. at CES 2021. While Nvidia had had given updates on its GPU shortage, AMD has thus far remained silent on the matter after having previously teased its competitor.
