AMD is expected to launch the Zen 6 processor, code-named "Morpheus" later this year or in early 2027 at the latest, and its desktop platform will undergo significant adjustments in both architecture and platform design. The latest news claims that the upcoming Ryzen 10000 desktop series may completely abandon the integrated graphics card (iGPU) and instead integrate a dedicated NPU (neural processing unit) on the chip to cope with the growing demand for local AI computing.
This statement comes from the whistleblower Gotou_kai3, who pointed out that the "Olympic Ridge" desktop platform based on Zen 6 will add an integrated NPU and support the CUDIMM memory specification, but will also cancel the integrated graphics card. The same source also stated that Olympic Ridge will still not natively integrate the USB4 controller at the chip level, and motherboard manufacturers will still need to rely on additional chips to provide USB4 connectivity like the current AM5 platform.
AMD has been making integrated graphics standard in mainstream desktop processors since the launch of the Zen 4-based Ryzen 7000 series in 2022, continuing with the Zen 5-architected Ryzen 9000 family. The greater value of these iGPUs lies in their "protection" functions, such as being able to output images and ensure that the system lights up normally even when the discrete graphics card is damaged or disassembled for troubleshooting. Removing this safety net on desktop platforms for installed gamers and high-end users is seen by many as a controversial trade-off, especially replacing it with a more narrow-purpose NPU.
Judging from the trend, NPU is becoming the new basic configuration of the PC industry. In the Copilot+ PC certification, Microsoft requires that the device must be equipped with an NPU to carry out local AI inference tasks, including background model processing and large language model interaction. It can complete inference work with higher energy efficiency than traditional CPUs or GPUs. However, on desktop platforms, the NPU's persuasiveness is much weaker than on laptops and all-in-one computers, where power consumption and efficiency are more important. More subtly, Microsoft has opened up some Windows native AI capabilities to discrete NVIDIA GPUs, which to some extent weakens the need for dedicated desktop NPUs.
Integrated graphics still play an important role in low-budget machines and in some specific scenarios. For installation players, maintenance engineers, or when replacing or troubleshooting graphics cards, the motherboard's built-in video output is often an important tool for quickly locating problems. Once core graphics are eliminated on high-end enthusiast platforms, such users must rely on independent graphics cards to obtain any video output, which will raise the minimum configuration threshold for the entire machine.
Industry analysts believe that AMD’s strategic adjustments are also inseparable from competitive pressure. Nvidia is expected to officially launch the RTX Spark CPU later this year, which is expected to further push AI capabilities into the desktop mainstream. Meanwhile, expectations are rapidly building around local AI workloads becoming part of the default experience on Windows systems. In this context, AMD's initiative to replace iGPU with NPU may be a preemptive layout under the AI PC trend and Nvidia's CPU offensive, rather than entirely due to the evolution rhythm of the product line itself.
In addition to the core display choices, the specifications of Zen 6 “Morpheus” itself are also attracting attention. It is said that the new generation of CCD will be based on TSMC's 2nm process, with a target acceleration frequency of up to 7GHz, and each CCD will integrate up to 12 cores and 48MB of level 3 cache. On this basis, the desktop Ryzen 10000 processor will provide a variety of configurations from 6 cores to 24 cores, and support SMT hyper-threading, thus once again raising the upper limit of the number of cores on mainstream desktop platforms.
As for whether "replacing iGPU with NPU" constitutes a clear and reasonable product route, there are still differences in the industry. Whether this trade-off will prove to be a forward-looking architectural upgrade or a stop-gap measure forced to follow the AI PC trend will largely depend on whether the desktop NPU can be of sufficient value in practical applications when Ryzen 10000 is actually launched.