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What you better know
Lenovo just announced refreshes of its two best business laptops.
The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon and ThinkPad X1 2-in-1 both have new versions featuring Intel Core Ultra processors.
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 9 in present mode.(Image credit: Lenovo)
NPUs work alongside the CPU and GPU to deliver a better and more efficient computing experience.
A growing number of creative apps utilize NPUs as well, such as Adobe Lightroom.
While NPUs may eventually be utilized by developers to improve gaming, they already support several popular business features.
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 9 in present mode.(Image credit: Lenovo)
I assume branding will align before the laptop launches next year.
That trend appears to have continued with the new ThinkPad X1 laptops.
An optional 120Hz OLED display is new on this year’s models as well.
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 9 laid flat.(Image credit: Lenovo)
That software utilizes an NPU to reduce power and lighten the processing load when using Microsoft Teams or Zoom.
The PC maker has now aligned with Microsoft’s Accessibility Team to align with industry standards in keyboard design.
These have been stables of the ThinkPad lineup for years.
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 9 front.(Image credit: Lenovo)
While some consider them old-fashioned, there are users who swear by them.
What is an NPU?
NPUs are Neural Processing Units that are optimized for artificial intelligence.
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 12 front.(Image credit: Lenovo)
They work alongside a system’s CPU and GPU and remove some of the workload from those processors.
Instead, they are tools geared toward a specific workflow.
Intel Core Ultra processorsall feature an NPU.
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 12 laid flat.(Image credit: Lenovo)
Qualcomm also has a chip with an NPU on the way, theSnapdragon X Elite.
How do NPUs help business laptops?
Like any new piece of hardware, software developers need to support NPUs.
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 12 back.(Image credit: Lenovo)
Right now, business users will see the biggest benefit from NPUs.
Tasks like blurring backgrounds, summarizing email, and increasing general productivity are perfect workflows for AI to streamline.
Intel Core Ultra processors feature an NPU for AI tasks.
