The big revelation coming from the announcement is about AI (I know, surprising, right?). However, it’s not just a gimmick, as Intel was able to demonstrate noticeable AI performance uplifts thanks to the built-in NPU (Neural Processing Unit, also known as AI accelerator) for local AI tasks.
Intel demonstrated the power of the configuration using the game Black Myth: Wukong. With the Core Ultra 9 285HX’s integrated GPU and AI Assistant working together, the game ran at 94 FPS. However, with the NPU taking over the AI Assistant and the GPU only handling graphics, the game’s framerate jumped to 108 FPS.
Yes, the difference isn’t huge, but it clearly shows how much more powerful the NPU is at handling AI tasks.
Intel also says that the AI Assistant also helps as a companion during the game, and can be interacted with via voice in real-time. It can give you hints or answer questions.
Intel’s Core Ultra Series 2 chips were first announced at CES 2025. The 285H performs impressively at single and multi-core tests, its efficiency, and especially so with the integrated GPU’s newfound powers.
One thing that is a bit baffling though is that Intel’s NPU was only offering 13 TOPS of AI power. (TOPS stands for trillions of operations per second). Copilot+, for one, requires at least 40 TOPS of power, so it looks rather strange Intel’s solution only rocks 13.
The CPUs that were announced at the CES are super powerful but confusingly, with less potent NPUs. Nevertheless, during this presentation, Intel was able to show that even an NPU with just 13 TOPS can handle some fancy gaming with newfound AI tricks.
