AMD has officially introduced the Radeon AI Pro R9700, a workstation-class graphics card based on the RDNA 4 architecture. The GPU will launch on October 27, 2025, with an official retail price of $1,299. Originally previewed at Computex earlier this year, the R9700 now arrives with confirmed specifications and pricing, signaling AMD’s growing push into the professional AI computing segment.
RDNA 4 Architecture and Key Specifications #
At its core, the Radeon AI Pro R9700 uses the Navi 48 GPU, the same silicon found in the RX 9070 XT, but tuned for professional workloads. It features:
- 4,096 Stream Processors
- 128 Render Output Units (ROPs)
- Dedicated Ray Tracing (RT) Cores
- 32GB of GDDR6 memory across a 256-bit bus
Compared to the RX 9070 XT’s 16GB configuration, the R9700 doubles the memory capacity, providing ample bandwidth for local AI training and inference tasks. AMD positions it as the “most cost-effective 32GB workstation GPU” currently available.
Professional Design and Market Position #
Unlike consumer cards, the Radeon AI Pro R9700 will be distributed exclusively through AMD’s partner ecosystem, including vendors such as ASRock and Sapphire. Certain models will target System Integrator (SI) customers for prebuilt workstation systems.
Physically, the R9700 adopts a dual-slot blower-style cooler, designed for efficient airflow in multi-GPU configurations. This makes it particularly suited for workstations that require parallel GPU operation and predictable thermal management.
Retail listings—such as the briefly listed ASRock Creator Radeon AI Pro R9700 at $1,329—are consistent with AMD’s suggested pricing, indicating tight alignment across partner channels.
AI Acceleration and ROCm Integration #
AMD emphasizes that the Radeon AI Pro R9700 is more than just a graphics card—it’s a workstation-class AI accelerator. Built with full support for the ROCm open software platform, it can accelerate Large Language Models (LLMs), diffusion models, and other generative AI workloads locally.
According to AMD’s internal benchmarks, the R9700 delivers up to 2× the performance of the Radeon Pro W7800 on the DeepSeek R1 model. This enables real-time text-to-image generation and natural language understanding on a desktop workstation—tasks previously confined to data center environments.
The card’s multi-GPU scalability via ROCm allows memory and throughput to scale linearly, enabling users to deploy multi-GPU AI training clusters on a single workstation platform.
Shifting AI Workloads from Cloud to Local #
The R9700’s debut reflects a broader industry trend: the movement of AI inference and model development from the cloud to local systems. With 32GB of VRAM, the R9700 can host and execute medium-to-large AI models directly, making it ideal for creators, researchers, and developers who prefer local execution over cloud dependency.
Compared to gaming-oriented cards like NVIDIA’s RTX 5080 (16GB VRAM), AMD’s R9700 offers superior memory capacity at a comparable price point—an advantage that directly impacts performance in memory-bound AI applications.
Strategic Role in AMD’s AI Ecosystem #
The Radeon AI Pro R9700 also underscores AMD’s long-term strategy to extend RDNA architecture into professional and AI computing markets. By unifying gaming and AI acceleration under one GPU architecture, AMD is creating a consistent technology stack that spans from desktop workstations to data centers.
This approach complements AMD’s Instinct accelerator series (MI400, MI500), which targets large-scale AI and HPC clusters. Together, these products form a cohesive end-to-end AI ecosystem built around shared compute and software technologies.
Toward the Era of Desktop AI Computing #
With the launch of the Radeon AI Pro R9700, AMD is positioning itself as a key enabler of desktop-class AI computing. By offering a workstation GPU that combines ample memory, efficient architecture, and open software compatibility, AMD provides a viable bridge between consumer-grade hardware and enterprise-scale AI infrastructure.
As generative AI continues to move closer to creators and developers, the R9700 could become a pivotal product in making local AI acceleration both accessible and practical.
In short: The Radeon AI Pro R9700 marks a turning point for AMD’s professional GPU lineup—bringing powerful, 32GB-capable AI acceleration from the data center to the desktop, and redefining what’s possible in local AI computing.
Quote: AMD Announces Radeon AI Pro R9700: A $1,299 Workstation GPU for Local AI Computing