AU 2025: Autodesk Software and AMD A-Go-Go

Autodesk University (AU) runs from September 16 - 18 at the Music City Center in Nashville, TN. The event, which dates back to 1993, is an exciting annual gathering of engineers, designers, developers, and media professionals, and offers a wide array of activities, both in-person and digitally. Its dual focus on broader trends within the industry as well as practical, hands-on training gives Autodesk University a unique feel and presents an opportunity to hear and learn from many different voices across the industry.

AI is a major theme at AU 2025, with a number of speaker sessions and keynotes discussing how artificial intelligence is reshaping design, engineering, and manufacturing. Autodesk CEO Andrew Anagost will speak on Tuesday, September 16 to discuss the integration of AI across the entire family of Autodesk products, with various speakers and breakout sessions addressing how AI interacts with specific software suites, from using generative AI in Autodesk Fusion 360 to the larger question of how to properly connect LLMs to your projects and designs via the Model Context Protocol and Autodesk Platform Services. A number of educational course providers and their associated experts will also be at the show, so feel free to walk the convention floor and strike up a conversation.

AMD @ AU 2025:

I'll be hands-on along with other AMD representatives at both the Dell and HP booths (501 and 260, respectively) to showcase cutting-edge AMD solutions ranging from tower workstations such as the Dell Precision 7875 to innovative HP small form factor and mobile workstations, discussed in more detail below. Additionally, I’m speaking from stage at panels hosted by Dell and Lenovo. Both sessions will discuss recent integrated graphics innovation in both AutoCAD 2026 and Autodesk Revit.

For many years, discrete GPUs were de rigueur for mobile and desktop workstations because integrated graphics solutions weren't powerful enough to handle advanced workloads in engineering or design applications. That's changed over time, thanks to steady advances in silicon engineering and Autodesk’s commitment to improving performance across every type of system.

Mobile and desktop discrete GPUs literally don't come cheap, and including one in a workstation impacts system price, battery life (when applicable), and chassis temperatures. Implementing robust support for iGPUs through AutoCAD’s Graphic Systems Fabric (GSF) closes the gap between integrated and discrete solutions and provides new options for users who might favor thin and light designs over the intrinsic tradeoffs of a discrete graphics card.

The Rise of the Workstation-Capable AMD iGPU

As this recent article highlights, AutoCAD 2026 now defaults to the highest level of video memory caching when paired with an AMD integrated GPU. This is a significant update relative to AutoCAD 2025 and allows the iGPU to support more visual styles through FASTSHADEDMODE and the associated Autodesk Graphics System Fabric (GSF) I mentioned earlier. This increased support for professional systems that emphasize battery life and thinness over the inclusion of a discrete graphics cards helps ensure engineers aren't forced into undesirable tradeoffs between valued system characteristics.

Designers and makers looking for something a little different -- and a lot more powerful -- have unique AMD options that have never existed before. Both the HP ZBook Ultra G1a laptop and HP Z2 Mini G1a desktop workstation feature the AMD Ryzen^TM AI Max PRO processor, which first debuted at CES 2025. This innovative microprocessor includes a unified CPU, GPU, and neural processing unit (NPU), backed by a 256-bit memory bus, LPDDR5X-8000 memory, and up to 2,560 GPU cores. The highest-end system configurations feature up to 128GB of memory and allow end users to allocate up to 96GB of that memory to the GPU.

AMD Ryzen AI Max PRO CPUs combine the power efficiency of integrated graphics with the performance end users expect from a discrete solution. This groundbreaking processor family is fully supported in AutoCAD 2026 and Autodesk Revit thanks to Autodesk's longstanding commitment to software improvement across its many applications and the work AMD has done to drive integrated graphics forward at every price point and performance level.

AMD Ryzen PRO, Ryzen AI PRO and Ryzen AI Max PRO processors offer the drafting, design, and rendering performance that industry professionals need, from budget-conscious students or entry-level users to architects and engineers working with the largest models and viewport resolutions. Additionally, AMD works extensively with ISV partners like Chaos, helping to ensure that Academy award-winning applications like V-Ray run optimally on both AMD CPUs and GPUs.

Autodesk has made a number of improvements in AutoCAD 2026 to make integrated solutions more viable, and we look forward to demonstrating those improvements and discussing how AMD processors can power your projects and meet your AI and non-AI computing needs. Drop by – we’d be thrilled to see you at the show.