Computex 2024 is taking place in Taipei, this week, and that means a flurry of new computing and AI news that could be of interest for digital creators. There's still a day left of the event, but we've already seen headline announcements from the likes of Nvidia, Asus, Intel and AMD.
We've seen laptops built from recycled plastic, a camera designed for filming and livestreaming in 3D, smart monitors running Google TV and new chips galore. Here are some of the highlights to know about. For more creative tech, see our pick of the best monitors for graphic artists.
01. Everyone is going in on AI
If we're to take one thing from Computex, it's that all of the big tech players believe AI is the future. This was the recurring theme across the show floor, from chips designed to power AI to AI agents.
AMD's Senior Technical Marketing Manager Donny Woligroski told our sister site Tom's Guide that he expects us to see fully autonomous AI agents "in 3-5 years". These would be programs that learn over time to improve themselves and that can take action in a user's behalf to help us with day-to-day tasks. Woligroski noted that the industry is showing an almost unprecedented degree of alignment on the matter, suggesting that "everybody sees the potential, and everyone's gonna move toward that potential.”
AI developments on display on the show floor have included MEG Vision X AI, an MSI gaming PC with what the company describes as the world’s first AI-powered “Human Machine Interface”. A touchscreen-controlled data dashboard showing things like clock speeds, temperature and system status is controlled via a to linked to MSI's AI Engine to automatically optimise performance, audio and lighting and color settings.
Meanwhile, Nvidia showcased Project G-Assist, an AI agent that can help users play games. While only a demo for now, the GeForce AI assistant shows how AI could eventually help gamers and game developers navigate PC games and help them configure settings using text prompts.
02. New chips – designed for AI
There was no shortage of chip launches at Computex, and AI was a theme here too. AMD unveiled its new Ryzen AI 3000 series, which it believes will be the “world’s best processor" for Microsoft CoPilot+ PCs. The processors are said to deliver AI performance of 50 trillion operations a second, beating Apple’s M4 and the Snapdragon X Elite, along with a 60% boost in GPU performance thanks to RDNA 3.5. Meanwhile up to 12 Zen 5 CPU cores deliver 70% improved multitasking performance over the Apple M3.
AMD also revealed the new AMD Ryzen 9000 series, which it's claiming as the “world’s most powerful desktop processor”. With next gen Zen 5 architecture, AMD says it provides big performance increases in comparison with the Intel Core i9-14900K, 100% more graphics bandwidth for GPU-centric AI and 20% faster AI acceleration for Large Language Models. It plas to continue to use its AM5 platform past 2027, so PC builders will be able to use the same motherboard for some years.
AMD isn't the only one with new chips. Intel announced its new Lunar Lake laptop processors, which have also been designed with Copilot+ PCs in mind. The flagship SoC will challenge Qualcomm's Snapdragon chips with 48 tera operations per second, meeting the standard Microsoft has set for the new devices. Lunar Lake appears to be consuming significantly less power than its predecessor, Meteor Lake.
As for Qualcomm, an image in a slide from its Snapdragon keynote appears to suggest that Snapdragon X Elite chips will be coming to desktop PCs following their launch in the new Microsoft Surface Pro and Surface Laptop.
03. ASUS ProArt laptops
Asus dropped a bunch of new Pro Art laptops at Computex. Designed specifically with creatives in mind, the P16, PX13 and PZ13 are also packed with the tech needed to run Microsoft CoPilot+. They boast colour-accurate screens, powerful graphics performance, big batteries and military-grade-tested durability. Apple, watch out! See our review editors take on the new Asus Pro Art laptops in his report from Taipei.
Asus also announced new gaming laptops 3 new gaming laptops with the new AMD Ryzen AI 300 NPU chipset. The ROG Zephyrus G16 has a Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 GPU, a 2.5K OLED display with a 240Hz refresh rate and comes with AI tools for summarising content, reading code, debugging and generating images, bringing Microsoft Copilot+ functionalities to a gaming laptop.
The brand had news for handheld gaming too: the ASUS ROG Ally X is a potential Steam Deck challenger with a 500-nits 120Hz Full HD display. With dual USB-C ports, Dolby Atmos speakers and an improved D-Pad and analogue sticks, it could be a new entry for our pick of the best games consoles.
04. Acer has a new 3D camera
Turning to more niche areas, Acer still sees a potential for 3D screens. It unveiled the SpatialLabs Eyes Stereo Camera. Retailing at $549, the compact device has two 8MP cameras is intended for filming content for 3D displays. It has electronic image stabilization and settings can be customised manually. SpatialLabs Player 3.0 will be able to livestream 3D content to platforms such as YouTube, Zoom, Google Meet and Microsoft Teams.
05. Monitors are getting smarter
Finally, Acer also unveiled new smart monitors DA1 and Nitro GA1, which come Google TV and access to popular streaming apps directly on the display itself. Both displays have a Multiview function that splits the monitors into various viewing sections for different programs, which could be a game-changer for multitasking (see our guide to the best monitors for working from home).
