Initially scheduled for a July 15 release (confirmed by retailers), AMD's next-generation Ryzen AI 300 (Strix Point) series has seemingly run into a minor setback. Hardware whistleblower Golden Pig, who has a reliable track record with processor leaks, believes that AMD has pushed the Ryzen AI 300 launch to July 28, just a few days before the Ryzen 9000 (Granite Ridge) launch.
AMD never provided an exact launch day for Strix Point or Granite Ridge, but only broadly referred to a July release. Therefore, Strix Point isn't technically delayed in the chipmaker's book.
Golden Pig didn't explain why AMD has purportedly moved the Ryzen AI 300 series launch by two weeks. But given that these chips are readily inside devices, we doubt it's a production problem. The setback is likely a logistic issue. Therefore, consumers who are readying their wallets for AMD's mobile Zen 5 chips with RDNA 3.5 graphics will have to wait almost until the end of the month. As per Hoang Anh Phu, another leaker, the review embargo for Strix Point is also July 28, so consumers will have to hold off until the same day before they can see the level of performance that Strix Point brings to the table.
July 28 is a Sunday, meaning AMD will launch Strix Point on the weekend. It's plausible that the chipmaker picked this specific date so Strix Point aligns with Granite Ridge, rumored to hit the market on July 31. It will be an exciting week for the hardware world since AMD's mobile and desktop Zen 5 offerings are arriving just days apart. Meanwhile, Intel doesn't have an answer for either Ryzen lineup yet.
Intel has previously stated it will ship Lunar Lake, which will compete with Strix Point, in Q3 for the Holiday Season. Therefore, Lunar Lake may not be on the market until December or early January. Meanwhile, Arrow Lake, Granite Ridge's rival, is slated for a Q4 release, so the chips could turn up in October, the same month when Raptor Lake came out two years ago.
AMD seems to have the upper hand in both cases since its Zen 5 chips will be on the market first. Particularly, Granite Ridge may garner more attention due to Intel's ongoing instability issues on the 13th Raptor Lake and 14th Generation Raptor Lake Refresh Core i9 chips. Therefore, cautious buyers may consider what Granite Ridge offers for their next upgrade before contemplating Arrow Lake.
