Microsoft’s Copilot+ PC launch fundamentally changes the PC

I had the opportunity to attend the recent launch of Microsoft’s new Surface products, which included the first Copilot+ PCs, a new category of Windows PCs designed specifically for AI. At that launch, Microsoft showed off its new vision for the PC, integrating AI at the operating system level and encouraging developers to build applications for this new platform.

While on the outside the platform doesn’t look like a significant departure from Windows versions of the past, it actually implements many changes under the hood, both in hardware and software. When I dig into the details, I see a lot of things from Microsoft that give us a glimpse into the future of the PC – and some of these tangible experiences and tools are available today.

The Copilot+ PC

The Copilot+ PC is fundamentally different from the “AI PC” of the past six months, mainly because almost every company in the PC world has its own definition of what an AI PC entails; but Microsoft’s definition is very specific. It’s also important to note that Copilot+ doesn’t just imply a PC optimized to run the cloud-based Microsoft Copilot at a basic level. Copilot+ PCs are specifically designed to run on-device AI at the operating system level and above. This has placed a very specific set of requirements on hardware and architecture, as well as optimizations for specific models.

For starters, Microsoft has set minimum hardware specs, including 40+ TOPS on the NPU and minimum RAM configurations of 16 GB. Before Microsoft could launch Copilot+, it had to deepen its already close partnership with Qualcomm and resolve some existing issues when using Windows on Arm. For now, the Copilot+ PC is powered exclusively by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Plus and Snapdragon X Elite processors, both of which feature NPUs with over 45 TOPS. The minimum requirement for NPU TOPS is essential because it sets a standard for the performance and power consumption that developers can expect from a Copilot+ PC, letting them know how much AI computing to play with in their applications. If you want to learn more about NPUs and their origins, check out this more detailed analysis I wrote a few weeks ago.

These Copilot+ PCs come with a new version of Windows 11 that is inherently AI-accelerated and optimized for Arm processors. In fact, this is the first time ever that Microsoft has led the way with Arm-based processors, as opposed to Intel’s x86 architecture, which is also used by AMD. At launch, Microsoft made some very bold performance claims regarding Apple’s 15-inch M3 MacBook Air, including 58% better sustained multithread performance, while also claiming 20% ​​longer video playback with 22 hours of battery life. Microsoft has worked to address concerns about Arm64 app compatibility, claiming that 87% of the total app minutes people spend on their PCs will be in apps that already have Arm64 native versions. Microsoft also has a new x86 emulator called Prism, which it claims works at least as well as Apple’s Rosetta 2.

As part of the launch, Microsoft introduced a pair of new Surface PCs, the Surface Pro (Gen 11) and Surface Laptop (Gen 7), both of which meet all the minimum specifications for a Copilot+ PC. Microsoft also hosted a plethora of PC partners on site at the event to show off their own Copilot+ PCs, which I’ll discuss in more depth in an upcoming article comparing prices, specs, and capabilities. The important thing to know is that Copilot+ PCs start at $999 and will be available starting June 18: the first day the Snapdragon X Elite is available to the public.

Microsoft’s best-in-class AI apps and operating system-level AI

At the launch of Copilot+, Microsoft demonstrated several first-party AI apps that it believes will change the Windows user experience. One of the most controversial (and potentially useful) of these apps is Recall, which periodically takes screenshots of your device usage and then allows you to go back and find things you’ve seen while working or browsing. Microsoft has already switched from an opt-out implementation to an opt-in to appease critics.

Another app is Cocreator, which allows a user to create something in Paint and use generative AI to turn that artwork into a more polished product. Cocreator can also help a user convert an existing photo or image into a particular style, one of GenAI’s first uses. Microsoft has also enhanced its already AI-accelerated Studio Effects app with new enhanced Windows Studio effects, further improving lighting and adding new features like a teleprompter for eye contact.

Another new feature across the operating system is the implementation of live subtitles from more than 40 languages ​​in English; this can be done in any app and is a great example of the power of AI acceleration at the operating system level. For gaming, Microsoft has also implemented a feature called Automatic Super Resolution (Auto SR for short), which improves gaming performance by rendering games at a lower resolution and then using the NPU to bring the resolution back to its original level.

Third-party apps and frameworks

While Microsoft has compiled a respectable list of developers already delivering Copilot+-compatible applications, the company had to implement a new Windows Copilot Runtime to enable both third-party and native apps. This new Copilot Runtime is the AI ​​core that powers Copilot+ PCs by extending the Microsoft Copilot stack to Windows. Part of the Copilot Runtime includes the Copilot Library, a set of APIs powered by the more than 40 on-device AI models that come with this new version of Windows.

Microsoft has also implemented a new Semantic Index, which helps redefine search in Windows and forms the backbone of features including Recall. Microsoft says it will offer this capability to developers later this year with the Vector Embeddings API, allowing developers to implement their own vector store and RAG into their own apps. Microsoft has also created Phi Silica, a small local language model based on the Phi family of models, which are designed specifically for on-device use and optimized for the NPU. Microsoft also announced support for PyTorch with its DirectML framework, designed to abstract hardware and make it easier to support diverse hardware. Microsoft is also anticipating the use of AI for the web with the introduction of WebNN, which also uses DirectML. WebNN is an API for Windows that is expected to enable the open internet to access AI hardware, including on-device CPUs, GPUs, or NPUs, to accelerate web-based AI experiences.

Adobe launched with support for Photoshop, Lightroom and Express in Windows Copilot+ and said it will add support for Illustrator, Premiere Pro and other apps later this summer. Adobe’s suite of apps has heavily embraced AI creation and editing; In the past, most of these capabilities relied on the GPU, which could be performance-oriented but also power-hungry. Adobe’s biggest competitor in video editing, DaVinci Resolve, also announced support for features like Magic Mask in Resolve Studio. DaVinci Resolve has shown time and again to be an ambitious adopter of new technologies and features, and I’m not surprised it was involved in the launch of Copilot+.

Microsoft showcased other apps including CapCut, LiquidText, djay Pro and Cephable to demonstrate the power of the NPU. I was particularly impressed with how easily the NeuralMix capability in the djay Pro app isolated different tracks within a song, making it easier to queue them up for a DJ. Cephable, an accessibility app, was the only demoed app I could see myself using, and it demonstrated the benefits of using NPU acceleration with its accessibility tool. I could control a slide deck just by tilting my head. It was cool to see how much of the NPU it was using in real time as I tracked my facial and head movements. Cephable, even compared to the M3 MacBook and an x86 plus GPU configuration, showed improvements in performance, battery life, and latency by running on the NPU.

These apps only scratch the surface of what will be possible with Windows on Copilot+ PCs, and we can expect it will take some time before developers get to grips with the platform’s full potential and optimize their software for it. Fortunately, developers now have more tools than ever, including the recently announced Snapdragon Dev Kit for Windows, which is supported by Qualcomm’s new AI Hub that the company recently expanded to support PC models on devices.

To block

Microsoft undoubtedly changed the trajectory of the PC industry with the announcement of the Copilot+ PC and the range of first-party apps that support it, plus the new frameworks and third-party apps that came with it. Microsoft has been working on this with Qualcomm for years, and this launch has ushered in a new era of Arm-based computing. It will be interesting to see how Apple will respond to WWDC in a few weeks with its own AI push, but I don’t believe Apple’s approach will be that mature. Yes, Apple benefits from full vertical integration, but the partnership between Microsoft and Qualcomm seems so closely synchronized that things aren’t far off for these Surface Copilot+ PCs.

I believe that in the wake of Copilot+, Apple is now the one catching up; after all, it launched the M4 iPad Pro somewhat prematurely with heavy AI PC counter-messages. I believe the AI ​​race has only just begun for PC and Mac, and we are only in the early stages of this AI game, so it is way too early to declare winners. We’ll likely continue to see companies trying to compete with each other on AI TOPS performance, whether it’s on the NPU, CPU, or GPU. Copilot+ will hopefully help solve some of the expected fragmentation issues with x86 and Arm platforms and will hopefully remove the typical friction we see with new Windows platforms. By setting hard expectations for NPU performance and minimum memory specifications, Microsoft helps developers understand what kind of hardware they can expect from Copilot+ PCs. I’m looking forward to using these new Copilot+ PCs in the real world and comparing them to the M4 iPad Pro and older PC platforms. Look for more of my reporting on this in the coming weeks and months.