Microsoft’s Copilot+ PCs brings local AI processing to laptops

Microsoft has announced a new suite of laptops with, you guessed it, AI. Branded as Copilot+ PCs, they’ve been designed to inject AI capabilities directly into the hardware. This means these functionalities operate locally rather than relying on cloud-based data centers.

Copilot+ PCs feature neural processors (NPUs) that handle AI workloads on laptops, which Microsoft says improves performance and efficiency. This new category of PCs is powered by 40 AI models running on Windows 11.

Microsoft’s Copilot AI assistant will also be supported by OpenAI’s new GPT-4o model.

It’s worth noting that Copilot+ PCs will not just be relegated to Microsoft’s Surface laptop line. The company is also rolling this out across all its laptop partners, including Dell, Lenovo, HP, Acer, Asus and Samsung to embed its AI offerings across the Windows ecosystem.

“Today marks a significant step forward as we integrate AI into the core of our computing platforms,” Satya Nadella, Microsoft’s CEO, said.

To support these AI capabilities, Copilot+ PCs come with specific hardware requirements: at least 16GB of RAM, 256GB of SSD storage, and an integrated NPU.

The first models will feature Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite and X Plus processors, which Microsoft claims can deliver up to 15 hours of web browsing on a single charge. Future models will include processors from Intel and AMD.

One of the most hyped features on Copilot+ PCs is Recall. This creates a searchable history of a user’s interactions and activities on their computer. According to Microsoft, Recall leverages the NPU to provide quick access to previously accessed documents, websites and more.

Some of the other AI-enhanced features of the Copilot+ PCs include Super Resolution for enhancing photo quality and Cocreator — an image generation and editing tool that combines ink strokes with text prompts.

The suite of tools also includes Live Captions which offers translation support over 40 languages.

According to Yusuf Mehdi, executive vice president of Windows, the new laptops are expected to be “58% faster” than a MacBook Air with an M3 processor. However, it’s currently unclear whether these stats apply to all of the new laptops or just the ones utilising the Arm-based processors provided by Qualcomm.

In some good news for business users in particular, Mehdi also pointed back to the on-device AI processing and how this also provides enhanced privacy and security for users.

The inclusion of the Microsoft Pluton Security processor on all Copilot+ PCs is aimed at protecting sensitive data and ensuring secure computing environments.

Our take

It’s going to be incredibly interesting to see how this plays out, for two reasons. Firstly, to see whether Microsoft’s performance and efficiency claims prove correct regarding on-device AI.

Secondly is its pivot back to an Arm-based chipset. Compared to Apple, which went hard on its Arm-based M1 chipset in 2020 — Microsoft’s commitment to the technology has been lacking. Sure it’s dabbled, but the performance just hasn’t been there.

But to be fair, compatibility has improved in recent years. There are still glaring issues when it comes to what Arm-powered Windows PCs can do compared to those running on Intel or AMD — particularly in the gaming space.

However, for business users, this may not be an issue. Combining Arm with native AI tools is a gamble, but it could be a turning point for Microsoft. We’ll just have to see what happens when it launches in mid-June.

Never miss a story: sign up to SmartCompany’s free daily newsletter and find our best stories on LinkedIn.