Even if workers are increasingly relying on their mobile devices to be productive, there’s still plenty demand for business PCs that can handle more advanced tasks — most powered by Intel Corp. chips.

Now, the chip giant can expect serious competition. Advanced Micro Devices Inc. today launched the newest iteration of its enterprise-oriented PRO processors.

The lineup is based on the 28-nanometer Bristol Ridge architecture that was unveiled in May and includes different models. Three are designed to run in small form-factor machines, while the rest are geared towards more conventional business desktops and laptops.

The most powerful model in the series is a 12-core processor called the A12 that has a maximum clock rate of 4.2 Ghz compared to the 3.2 GHz offered by Intel’s rivaling i5-6500 CPU. And that doesn’t even account for the Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) built into every unit, which make up eight of the 12 cores in the A12.

AMD says that the new series can provider 14 percent better CPU performance than the previous-generation PRO processors and render graphics up to 22 percent faster, while using two-thirds the power. Moreover, the company has also incorporated a number of value-added features into the chips to help organizations manage their endpoints more effectively.

One of the main highlights is the fact that the chips are based on the AM4 socket, which is designed to be compatible with AMD’s upcoming Zen processors. As a result, companies will be able to upgrade their machines once the series becomes available instead having to buy entirely PC.

That could significantly increase the longevity of AMD-based systems and thus reduce hardware procurement expenses in the long run. In a large enterprise with upwards of tens of thousands of workers who each need their own computer, extending upgrade cycles by a year or two can make a major impact on the bottom line.

The other major addition introduced in the Bristol Ridge model is a set of management features based on DASH, an open-source hardware security standard. Administrators can use the functionality to perform tasks like remotely wiping or disabling machines if they’re compromised. AMD has included the software in all seven Briston Ridge PRO chips to gain an edge over Intel, which only makes its rivaling vPro technology available with high-end CPUs.

The new chips will start shipping in the coming months with machines from HP Inc. and Lenovo Group Ltd.

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