Several months after AMD’s first generation XDNA-based Neural Processing Unit (NPU) debuted as part of their “Phoenix” Ryzen 7040 mobile CPU series, Intel released its Core Ultra “Meteor Lake” generation, which also featured a lot of NPU. Recent information has shown that a Windows 11 DirectML beta offers initial support for Core Ultra NPUs; it appears that Microsoft’s software engineering division is giving Intel AI technology priority. Although Team Red has already made XDNA available for desktop platforms—using its Ryzen 8000G APU family—and the “Hawk Point” 8040 series is almost ready for retail sale, Microsoft’s DirectML API does not yet support these CPUs or the 7040. Two weeks ago, an intriguing AMD community blog article was made; media outlets have been sluggish to recognize its importance.

Windows Task Manager allows for the monitoring of Intel NPU activities (see screenshot below), and a subsequent update will include AMD components that are in competition. It has been revealed in a Team Red community blog post by Joel Hruska that Ryzen 8040 series processors will soon support NPU monitoring: The demand for system monitoring tools that can monitor the performance of the new NPUs (Neural Processing Units) found on certain Ryzen 8040 Series mobile CPUs is rising as AI PCs gain popularity. Neural processing units, often called integrated or on-die AI engines, can extend battery life by transferring AI activities that would typically be handled by the CPU or GPU to another processor.

In order to enable MCDM (Microsoft Compute Driver Model) infrastructure on the AMD Ryzen 8040 Series of mobile CPUs with NPUs (Neural Processing Units), AMD has been collaborating with Microsoft. A variation of the Windows Display Driver Model (WDDM), MCDM is intended for computing devices other than GPUs, like the NPU. Through MCDM, NPUs can leverage the current GPU device management framework, which includes memory management, scheduling, power management, and performance debugging using the Task Manager and other tools. As a foundational layer, MCDM makes sure that AI workloads are executed smoothly on NPU devices.”

Hruska went on to explain, saying that monitoring application activity requires being able to see which system components are busy and how resources are being distributed in real-time. This type of tracking is especially crucial for notebooks, since end users can choose to optimize battery life by deciding where certain workloads run or by changing the global power settings through an OEM-provided program or the Windows Settings menu. AMD included an NPU in some Ryzen 8040 processors in order to support suppliers in developing fresh, AI-powered experiences and applications. It makes sense for everyone—from developers and system vendors to the individual end-user—to integrate this capabilities since real-time device usage monitoring can facilitate software development. Task Manager’s integration of NPU monitoring highlights the significance of these devices for computing’s future. There are similarities to 2017, when Task Manager gained GPU monitoring from Microsoft. The decision was made in response to requests from customers and demonstrated the growing significance of the GPU as a fundamental system component.”

“When considered in the long run, the decision to incorporate NPU tracking into Task Manager reflects the way Windows software has grown to keep pace with the added complexity of PCs,” he said, complimenting AMD’s development partner. Microsoft has gradually expanded the quantity and variety of system components it can track at the same time during the past few decades. By adding NPU support to the already existing features for CPU, GPU, storage, and network monitoring, Task Manager becomes more useful and indicates to the broader developer community the expected future relevance of these devices. One way AMD is assisting AI development on x86 platforms is by collaborating with Microsoft to provide the Ryzen 8040 processor series with first support for NPU monitoring.”

The Ryzen 7040 and related Ryzen 8000G APUs are not mentioned in the Team Red blog, however it would make sense to provide “initial NPU monitoring support” on the marginally older platforms considering their fundamental similarities.