Despite fierce competition, Intel's robust research and development efforts have kept the company at the forefront, continuously pushing the boundaries of what's possible in computing. With its collaboration with Asus on several AI laptop lines, particularly the latest Zenbook S 14, a comprehensive AI laptop has been created, ensuring the company's continued relevance and dominance in a highly competitive market.
In an interview, Dino Strkljevic, Regional Director of Intel's APJ and India Consumer Business Group, and Eric Lee, General Manager of Asus SEA 2 (including Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar, Cambodia, and Laos), shared their vision for this collaboration.
- Could you elaborate on the improvements that the Intel Core Ultra 2 Series brings in terms of energy efficiency and AI capabilities, the formation of the partnership between Intel and Asus, especially regarding AI laptop improvements?
- Mr. Dino Strkljevic: The Intel Core Ultra 2 Series processors are designed for high performance, energy efficiency, and leading AI computing capabilities. These include our new Lion Cove-based P cores, powerful Skymont-based E cores for granular power management, our new Xe2 micrographics architecture, and 4th generation NPUs. With these new processors, the NPU has received a significant increase in AI performance, rising from 11 TOPS in previous generations to 48 TOPS, and the GPU has also received a large increase in AI performance.
Overall, the system is capable of delivering a total of 120 TOPS (Top Performance Scores). We focused on ensuring good performance across all aspects while also placing a major emphasis on dispelling the misconception that x86 platforms are not energy-efficient. We employed several architectural enhancements, including the use of on-pack memory, to reduce the overall power consumption of the system, with the end result being that consumers can now expect all-day battery life from laptops equipped with Intel Core Ultra 2 series processors.
  |
Supporting key original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) like Asus in problem-solving and developing best practices throughout the process is one of the many ways Intel helps the PC ecosystem succeed. This is part of the ongoing collaboration between Intel and Asus.
- Eric Lee: Asus highly values its decades-long partnership with Intel Corporation. Together, our years of collaboration have consistently delivered incredible solutions and innovations to customers worldwide . Asus is thrilled to mark the continuation of this extraordinary alliance with our next-generation, pioneering AI laptops powered by the Intel Core Ultra 2 series. We look forward to the amazing possibilities awaiting us in the next chapter.
- Could you share the design philosophy and technology behind the Zenbook S 14? How do aesthetics and functionality blend together in this AI laptop?
Eric Lee: Asus is aiming to lead the trend of making AI easily accessible everywhere, to everyone, and ensuring that all users can benefit from the capabilities guaranteed by artificial intelligence. The highlight of the Zenbook S 14 is its ultra-thin and ultra-light AI laptop with a premium chassis featuring proprietary Ceraluminum, a high-tech ceramic hybrid material with a variety of nature-inspired colors.
Inspired by nature, a balanced Zen lifestyle, the breath of modern life, and high fashion , the Zenbook S Series has become an essential technological device for work and a luxurious fashion accessory for every owner. The Zenbook S 14 embodies three elements: intelligent innovation, timeless craftsmanship, and precision machining. The Zenbook S 14 utilizes CeraAluminum, a high-tech ceramic material inspired by the luxury watchmaking and aerospace industries.
This groundbreaking innovation in the industry delivers superior durability and wear resistance. The material is not only durable but also a symbol of resilience and individuality. Ceraluminum utilizes a unique process to transform aluminum lids into Asus's proprietary plasma-ceramic aluminum. This process uses pure water and no organic compounds, strong acids, or heavy metals. Instead, this low-impact dyeing method creates a chemical and physical transformation of the aluminum. The result is improved wear resistance, abrasion protection, thermal management, hardness, and lifespan.
This AI laptop is equipped with the latest Intel Core Ultra 7 Series 2 processor with a system-on-a-chip (SoC) design. The SoC design reduces motherboard size by 27% for improved overall cooling performance. With up to 32GB of fast RAM and up to 1TB of PCIe 4.0 SSD storage, the processor boasts a TDP of up to 28W and 120 TOPS for the latest AI applications. The Intel Core Ultra 7 Series 2 AI chip also offers incredible power efficiency optimization, providing up to 27 hours of battery life or a full workday with its 72Wh battery.
As the first Copilot+ laptop PC in Vietnam equipped with the new Intel Core Ultra 7 Series 2 AI chip, the Zenbook S 14 offers AI experiences such as answering questions, creating or summarizing content instantly, ensuring superior video call quality, creating real-time subtitles for videos being watched, easily creating automatic videos, automatically sorting and searching images and videos in StoryCube, and automatically removing image backgrounds to eliminate unnecessary details...
- How does the Intel Core Ultra 2 series contribute to achieving superior energy efficiency in the Asus Zenbook S 14, and how does this impact the user experience? What are the goals and vision of the Zenbook S 14, particularly regarding performance and battery life? How does Asus ensure it meets the high-performance demands of modern users?
- Mr. Dino Strkljevic: The Asus Zenbook S 14 is very thin at just 1.1cm, so it's imperative that any processor powering this form factor is not only efficient but also high-performance. The Intel Core Ultra 2 series is clearly the perfect choice, and we worked with Asus to ensure that the final product meets all performance requirements, provides good battery life, and avoids any thermal bottlenecks that can arise when housed in such a thin chassis.
- Eric Lee: One of the standout features of this device is its impressive battery performance, which is crucial for professionals, office workers, and anyone who needs a reliable power source throughout the day. When it comes to improving power efficiency, with Intel Evo certification and the Intel Core Ultra 2 series, things go even further, with battery life potentially lasting up to 27 hours.
Remote workers, freelancers, and digital nomads know the challenges of working remotely or away from the office. They're always searching for a good workspace that, in addition to being quiet and comfortable, has power outlets. You'll be freed from power outlets and maintain productivity anywhere with the Zenbook S 14's all-day battery life. This is truly a game changer for these always-on professionals.
Not only does it allow users to maintain productivity in any situation, the Zenbook S 14 also boasts a long-lasting battery to sustain productivity all day. When it's time to recharge, USB-C Easy Charge is quick and convenient, always ready for you to use, enjoying uninterrupted productivity with unparalleled endurance. Battery life surpasses boundaries on the Zenbook S 14 as this laptop increased its charge cycles from 1,000 to 1,200 during rigorous testing. This ensures the laptop serves you for a long time, providing long-term benefits.
- What upcoming advancements can we expect from Intel in the field of AI PCs, and how do you envision the future of power-efficient laptops? How does Intel plan to position itself relative to other chipset competitors, particularly in the areas of AI and power efficiency?
- Mr. Dino Strkljevic: Clearly, with the Intel Core Ultra 2 Series processors, we've set a new standard for performance and efficiency in laptops, and you'll continue to see us create even more innovations in this area. We've set ourselves apart from other industry competitors in PC AI. If you consider AI, we offer AI workload acceleration across all three computing engines: CPU, GPU, and NPU, all purpose-built for such tasks. Our Intel Core Ultra 2 Series processors deliver up to 120 platform TOPS across all three accelerators, and you've seen how power-efficient these new processors are. We're also uniquely positioned from a software perspective, as we've worked with over 100 ISVs to create over 300 AI experiences. We also surpassed the milestone of having 500 AI models running optimized on both generations of Intel Core Ultra processors.
- What are the main challenges Intel faces in the competitive landscape of AI laptops, and how do you plan to address them in the future? Are there any unique opportunities Intel wants to capitalize on with the introduction of Lunar Lake chips, particularly in terms of integrating AI into consumer laptops?
- Mr. Dino Strkljevic: We believe that our Intel Core Ultra-powered AI laptops will continue to win customers across all segments. We plan to continue working with the entire ecosystem, including independent software developers, hardware vendors, and the groups involved in developing AI models. Only Intel has the capability to encompass all these areas, bringing them together to drive the entire industry forward. By activating the ecosystem, we ensure that any new AI features (hardware or software) developed will continue to work seamlessly on Intel-powered AI personal computers.
- Eric Lee: Today, most AI-powered applications are web-based or require an internet connection. To use AI so far, you would "plug" online into the server where the AI is running and utilize the server's powerful processing capabilities. The trend is that other AI capabilities will be available offline in the near future. To take advantage of that, you will need a laptop ready to handle complex AI-assisted tasks.
AI-powered features offer a significant advantage for high-performance laptops. With the help of AI tools, you can edit and diversify content much faster. As more and more AI tools become available offline, a new Asus laptop with an integrated NPU will ensure you're ready to take advantage of them.
Asus sees growth potential in the AI laptop market in Vietnam, especially as consumers become increasingly familiar with AI features in their daily work. Our goal is to expand our AI laptop product line, providing optimal hardware and software solutions to meet the diverse needs of users ranging from students to professionals and businesses.
In early 2024, Asus announced a diverse line of AI laptops, meeting the growing demand for devices that allow users to leverage this important new technology. Looking ahead, Asus aims to strengthen its presence of AI laptops in Vietnam, expecting its AI PC product lines to account for up to 10% of the total market by 2025. Asus aspires to capture 50% of the market share in this segment. This demonstrates a long-term vision and commitment to developing and improving AI technology for the personal computing market.
Comment (0)