Mystery Chinese mobile workstation packs a 64-thread CPU, 128 GB RAM and 4K 120 Hz display into 1.69 kg chassis

Sugon has teased the N50 Pro, a new mobile workstation that the Chinese manufacturer is calling the world's first laptop in its class with 64 CPU threads. The company has not yet identified the processor, but a source familiar with the hardware implies that the chip uses four-way simultaneous multithreading, or SMT4. That would point to a 16-core, 64-thread configuration rather than the 32-core layout required by a conventional SMT2 design.

That detail also provides an intriguing clue about the mystery processor. Hygon is one particularly plausible supplier, since its newer Chinese x86 processors are known to support SMT4. A SKU called the Hygon 3490H has also appeared online with 16 cores and 64 threads, alongside a regular Hygon 3490 listed at 16 cores and 32 threads. At the time of writing, we have not been able to confirm that the 3490H, or any Hygon processor specifically, is used in the N50 Pro. Alternatively, it could also be a derivative of Hygon's recently unveiled C86-5G, which also supports SMT4.

Sugon says the CPU can reach up to 4.3 GHz in single-threaded workloads and is positioning the system as an engineering workhorse aimed at designers, engineers and other professional users working with simulation, CAD and rendering software. The company claims the N50 Pro can reduce the runtime of a typical 40 GB-plus computational fluid dynamics project from 2.4 hours to around one hour. The exact workload/software being referenced is unknown. The Sugon N50 Pro can be configured with up to 128 GB of RAM and up to 8 TB of storage.

The GPU is similarly mysterious. Sugon only confirms 16 GB of dedicated graphics memory and advertises a clock speed of up to 3.3 GHz. It could come from a plethora of domestic GPU makers such as Unis, which recently paired a Hygon C86-4G mobile processor with an Innosilicon Fenghua 2 discrete GPU in its L3831 G3 mobile workstation. Other Chinese GPU developers, including Moore Threads, Jingjia Micro and Xiangdixian, have also expanded their products towards professional and mobile applications. However, none of their currently documented GPUs cleanly matches the N50 Pro's disclosed specifications.

Thankfully, Sugon is explicit about other specs of the N50 Pro.  It features a 4K panel with a 120 Hz refresh rate, 93% screen-to-body ratio and Delta E below 1 for colour-critical workloads. Connectivity is another major part of the pitch, with nine interfaces, multi-display 4K output and "10-gigabit-class" data transfers. Sugon also mentions a proprietary hidden-port design intended to reduce the need for external dongles, though it has not yet revealed the full port selection.

Despite the workstation positioning, Sugon claims the N50 Pro measures just 16.9 mm thick and weighs as little as 1.69 kg. No price or release date has been mentioned as of now.