When it comes to Chromebooks, machines powered by AMD silicon usually employ the low-end A-series APUs that are intended for basic usage. With the advent of premium Chromebooks in the market from the likes of HP and Google, Intel capitalized on this segment with open arms, while AMD focused elsewhere. AMD is now taking the fight to Intel in this segment as well by launching five new mobile processors based on Zen architecture that are designed specifically for Chromebooks. AMD’s new Ryzen 3000 C and Athlon 3000 C series offerings are the first processors that will introduce AMD’s Zen architecture on Chromebooks and also mark the debut of Ryzen silicon on Chrome OS devices.

The new AMD Ryzen 7 3700C and Ryzen 5 3500C mobile processors are based on the Zen+ architecture, while the Ryzen 3 3250C, Athlon Gold 3150C and Athlon Silver 3050C processors rely on the first-gen Zen architecture. To recall, AMD currently sells Zen 2-based processors and is on the verge of debuting the Zen 3 architecture which might be revealed later this year as per multiple leaks. The new AMD Ryzen and Athlon processors also come with the in-house Radeon Vega graphics, which is claimed to give a huge boost to the graphics prowess of Chromebooks. 

Despite the different family lines, there are a few similarities between the five new AMD processors. To start, all five processors are targeting a default TDP of 15W. However, the Ryzen 3 3250C shares its 14nm fabrication process with the Athlon Gold 3150C and Athlon Silver 3050C. The AMD Ryzen 7 3700C and Ryzen 5 3500C processors, on the other hand, are based on the more efficient 12nm process. AMD says the first wave of laptops powered by the new AMD Ryzen 3000 C and AMD Athlon 3000 C series mobile processors will arrive in Q4 2020 from Acer, ASUS, HP, and Lenovo. 

With the arrival of its new silicon, AMD is also drawing the lines for how each processor family will fit inside Chromebooks. The AMD A-series will be destined for entry-level Chrome OS machines, while the Athlon 3000 C series will be aimed at mid-level Chromebooks that can handle multitasking and a little bit of gaming. As for the Ryzen 3000 C family, it will be reserved for premium Chromebooks targeted at demanding users.