AMD and Qualcomm are teaming up to make your laptop Wi-Fi faster

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Laptops powered by AMD Ryzen chips could soon get a serious Wi-Fi speed boost thanks to a new partnership with Qualcomm.

The chip giant has announced it is bringing its Qualcomm FastConnect to PCs with AMD Ryzen processors, meaning Wi-Fi 6 and 6E connections will soon be available on more devices, offering download speeds of up to 3.6GBps.

A bunch of business-focused laptops will be the first to see the upgrade, with notebooks using the AMD Ryzen Pro 6000 series chips and Qualcomm FastConnect 6900 among the initial rollout.

Faster Wi-Fi on the way

“Out-of-band Wi-Fi remote management is an important tool for enterprise IT managers to diagnose and fix issues, even when the operating system is not running,” Jason Banta, CVP and GM of OEM Client Computing at AMD, said in a press release.

“AMD Ryzen PRO 6000 Series processors with Qualcomm FastConnect 6900 enable next-generation business laptops to have the processing and connectivity tools needed to perform in modern environments, offering professional-strength remote manageability for users in the new, hybrid workplace."

The launch will also bring in Windows 11 devices for the first time, as the two companies look to work with Microsoft to make the most of some useful connectivity tools found in the software.

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This includes Windows 11 Wi-Fi Dual Station, which allows laptops to use multiple Wi-Fi bands simultaneously for reduced latency and stronger connections. AMD and Qualcomm say that this should provide a particular boost for enterprise users by allowing for better video conferencing performance.

AMD was also keen to push its Manageability Processor remote management tool for Ryzen Pro 6000 PCs, hopefully meaning such devices will become more appealing to businesses looking to upgrade their IT stack.

Users of such devices, with the recently-announced Lenovo ThinkPad Z Series and HP EliteBook 805 Series named in the press materials, should also be able to see the benefits of using the 6GHz band for improved bandwidth and speed improvements without needing to battle with older, non-6E devices.

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Mike Moore is Deputy Editor at TechRadar Pro. He has worked as a B2B and B2C tech journalist for nearly a decade, including at one of the UK's leading national newspapers and fellow Future title ITProPortal, and when he's not keeping track of all the latest enterprise and workplace trends, can most likely be found watching, following or taking part in some kind of sport.