Microsoft Copilot+ PC
On the 20th of May, just before their annual Build conference, Microsoft held a special event to formally announce a new generation of Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems, known as Copilot+ PC.
The short promotion video below provides an overview of the announcement.
The special event revealed the following:
- New branding and minimum specification for Copilot+ PC.
- Windows on ARM with Prism emulation for x86-64 workloads.
- Windows Copilot features, specifically Recall and integrations for Paint, Photos, etc.
- Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus and Elite with Copilot+ PC laptops from Microsoft, Dell, Lenovo, Samsung, HP, Asus, and Acer.
- New Copilot+ PC options coming from Intel and AMD later this year.
An eligible Copilot+ PC must meet the following minimum specification.
- Neural Processing Unit (NPU) with 40 Trillion Operations per Second (TOPS)
- 8 Logical Processors
- 16GB Memory
- 256GB SSD Storage
The most notable requirement is the Neural Processing Unit (NPU), which must be capable of 40 Trillion Operations per Second (TOPS). Currently, only the recently announced Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus and Elite processors meet this requirement, delivering 45 TOPS. Notably, the Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus and Elite are ARM-based, not x86-64.
Intel and AMD have announced that they will have Copilot+ PC options later this year, with the release of their next-generation architectures (e.g., Intel Lunar Lake and AMD Zen 5).
The requirement for a dedicated NPU is interesting, as it excludes other capable hardware, such as a Graphics Processing Unit (GPU). For example, a mid-range NVIDIA GeForce 4050 Laptop GPU can deliver up to 194 TOPS, which is significantly above the 40 TOPS requirement. However, as it is not a dedicated NPU, it does not meet the requirement, meaning it will not gain access to Copilot+ PC features.
It is fair to state, that a dedicated GPU would not be as power-efficient as an NPU, but power efficiency is not always a requirement, specifically for workstation-class laptops or desktops, which are predominately mains-powered.
Therefore, the dedicated NPU requirement does feel like a barrier positioned by Microsoft marketing to clearly differentiate and force new hardware purchases and/or upgrades (which is a bit frustrating). Microsoft leveraged a similar tactic as part of the Windows 11 release, requiring specific processors and TPM 2.0.
The memory and storage requirements make more sense, as the use of local AI capabilities, such as large language models (LLMs), can be resource-heavy. For example, Microsoft has stated they plan to ship 40+ large language models with Windows (stored and running locally) and the newly announced Recall feature requires a minimum of 50GB storage.
Windows AI
At the event, a lot of emphasis was placed on the Windows AI features included with Copilot+ PC, targeting Windows 11 24H2 (previously rumoured to be Windows 12). Unfortunately, since the announcement, there has been a strong consumer response to the headline feature, known as Recall, highlighting privacy and security concerns.
Recall is an explorable timeline, which works by capturing a screenshot automatically every five seconds. These screenshots are then made available to a local large language model, which can be used to query (recall) anything the user previously worked on via natural language. For example, “Show me the slide I was working on which included a picture of a red dragon”.
The feature itself is quite interesting, as the human mind commonly places greater emphasis on visual cues vs. file systems when attempting to retrace memories.
Unfortunately, and you would assume, fairly obviously, that any feature that takes a screenshot every five seconds would pose a legitimate privacy and security concern. For example, post-announcement, the cybersecurity community demonstrated examples of malware that could target and copy Recall data, making it a convenient target for cybercriminals.
As a result, after several rounds of deliberation, Microsoft has formally delayed Recall. Therefore, it will not be available at launch with the first round of Copilot+ PC laptops, providing time for them to verify and improve the privacy/security controls.
Windows on ARM
Although the Windows AI features took centre stage, I was personally more interested in the switch from x86-64 to ARM, with the new Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus and Elite processors.
Microsoft has attempted (many times) to make Windows on ARM viable for consumers. Up to now, every attempt has resulted in failure, with poor native ARM performance and inconsistent compatibility with traditional x86-64 software. Therefore, unsurprisingly, PC manufacturers and the developer community have largely ignored Windows on ARM.
This has been a point of frustration for Windows users, as the x86-64 market with Intel and AMD has been stagnant for many years, with uninspired incremental hardware revisions. It also placed the PC market at a disadvantage against Apple and their Apple Silicon laptops/desktops, which successfully switched to ARM in 2020.
To be clear, there is nothing inherently wrong with the x86-64 architecture. However, the ARM architecture has proven very capable in three key areas.
- All day (> 20 hours) battery life for common tasks.
- Sustained high performance, even on battery.
- Quiet operation, even under load.
These three areas are well suited to the ARM architecture, which is why it dominates the smartphone and tablet market. The Apple MacBook Air/Pro line of laptops has also proven the viability for larger computing devices, assuming the performance and software compatibility exists.
In short, the PC market has failed to deliver a compelling Apple MacBook Air competitor with x86-64. Even when they have come close from a form-factor perspective, the performance on the battery (when not powered) is dramatically reduced, as x86-64 processors must throttle aggressively to maintain reasonable battery life.
Thankfully, there is growing optimism that the newly announced Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus and Elite processors, combined with the new Prism emulation layer will change this story, delivering the required combination of performance and compatibility to make Windows on ARM viable at scale.
Initial signs are positive, with encouraging commitment from PC manufacturers (Dell, Lenovo, Samsung, HP, Asus, Acer) and the developer community (Google, Adobe, etc.)
Microsoft Surface Laptop 7
Earlier today, I received a Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 for testing, which is a Copilot+ PC laptop, running Windows on ARM via a Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite processor.
A summary of specification can be found below:
- Microsoft Surface Laptop 7
- Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite (X1E-80-100 - 12C)
- 32GB LPDDR5x (8448 MT/s)
- 1TB M.2 PCI-e 4.0 NVM-e SSD
- Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4
- 15-inch LCD Touchscreen (2496x1664 @ 120Hz)
- 2x USB-C (USB 4), 1x USB-A (USB 3.1), 1x MicroSDXC, 1x 3.5mm Headphone, 1x Surface Connect
The full specification of the Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite (X1E-80-100) can be found on the Qualcomm website.
Over the next week, I will be testing the Microsoft Surface Laptop 7. Therefore, stay tuned for a follow-up article with the results. I am excited to see if ARM is the future of Windows!