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Microsoft Unveils Copilot Plus PCs: Built-in AI-Powered Laptops
Updated: May 20 2024 17:58
Microsoft has announced the introduction of Copilot Plus PCs, a new branding that highlights Windows laptops equipped with built-in AI hardware and support for AI features across the operating system. This announcement, made by Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella at the company's headquarters in Redmond, Washington, marks a significant step forward in the integration of AI into personal computing, transforming the way we interact with our computers, offering unprecedented performance, privacy, and user experience.
Microsoft also announced that its Copilot assistant is getting a GPT-4o upgrade. Microsoft demonstrated the integration by showing Copilot guide a player through Minecraft, using GPT-4o to see and react to what was happening onscreen. Microsoft is mentioning a list of new AI experiences that are only possible on Copilot+ PCs:
Recall: Access what you have seen or done on your PC intuitively, as if having a photographic memory.
Cocreator: Combine ink strokes with text prompts to generate and refine images in nearly real-time.
Restyle Image: Reimagine personal photos with new styles and create entirely new images.
Live Captions: Translate live or pre-recorded audio from over 40 languages into English subtitles instantly.
Enhanced Windows Studio Effects: Look and sound your best automatically with easily accessible controls.
Recall: A Journey Through Your Digital Memories
With its built-in Timeline interface, Recall allows you to effortlessly scroll back through various snapshots that Windows has captured based on your search criteria. Imagine searching for "dinosaurs" and instantly accessing every instance where content related to dinosaurs appeared on your screen. This powerful tool enables you to quickly jump to specific moments in time, making it easier than ever to find and revisit important information. All these are done using the NPU on the device without using the cloud.
It goes beyond simple search functionality by understanding the content currently displayed on your screen and providing contextual suggestions. Whether you're looking at an image on a webpage or working with documents side by side, Recall intelligently offers prompts to streamline your workflow. With just a single click, you can edit photos, compare documents, and access relevant tools, saving you valuable time and effort.
Under the hood, Windows will take frequent screenshots, decode text in images and chronicle what's happening in meetings, making it easier to rediscover a moment in time later. For those who don't want everything they do logged and stored, Microsoft allows people to delete specific snapshots, choose specific websites or apps not to include in Recall, and to snooze the feature for a particular period of time.
Live Captions: Breaking Language Barriers
Microsoft's Live Captions feature for accessibility and global communication. On Copilot+ PCs, Live Captions can translate over 40 different languages into English from any live or pre-recorded audio and video, all without relying on the cloud. This means that you can now understand and engage with content from around the world, regardless of the original language.
The implications of this technology are far-reaching. Whether you're attending an international conference, watching a foreign film, or collaborating with colleagues from different countries, Live Captions ensures that language is no longer a barrier. By providing real-time translations directly on your device, Microsoft is fostering a more inclusive and connected global community.
Windows Studio Effects: Elevating Your Video Presence
In the era of remote work and virtual meetings, presenting yourself in the best possible light is crucial. Microsoft recognizes this need and has significantly enhanced Windows Studio Effects. With advanced capabilities, you can now virtually improve lighting conditions and apply real-time artistic styles to your webcam video feed.
Imagine being able to adjust the lighting in your video to create a professional and polished appearance, even in suboptimal environments. Or, add a touch of creativity to your video by applying artistic styles that reflect your personality or the tone of your presentation. These enhancements not only elevate your video presence but also provide a more engaging and immersive experience for your audience. It comes with the following 4 tools:
There are three filter styles: illustrated, animated and watercolor to add some style to calls. This also includes improved portrait blur so that a blurred background is outlined properly around users.
Portait lighting is built to adjust the lighting to give users a natural appearance and makes sure they stay visible during calls.
The eye contact teleprompter helps users maintain eye contact especially when reading content or not directly looking at the screen.
Voice focus is a noise cancellation tool to reduce background sounds.
Partnership with Major Laptop Manufacturers
Microsoft has partnered with all of its major laptop partners, including Dell, Lenovo, Samsung, HP, Acer, and Asus, to offer Copilot Plus PCs. Additionally, Microsoft's own Surface line will feature Copilot Plus PC models, ensuring a wide range of options for consumers. Notably, while Microsoft is also pushing for the adoption of Arm chips in Windows laptops, Nadella emphasized that laptops with Intel and AMD chips will also offer these AI features, making the technology accessible across various hardware configurations.
Satya Nadella's statement, "We get to reimagine the platform that fuels our work," underscores the transformative potential of Copilot Plus PCs. By integrating AI capabilities directly into the hardware and operating system, Microsoft aims to revolutionize the way we interact with our laptops and enhance productivity in unprecedented ways.
According to Yusuf Mehdi, the Microsoft executive overseeing Windows, Copilot Plus PC laptops will be "58 percent faster" than a MacBook Air with an M3 processor and offer "all day" battery life. While it remains unclear if these performance claims apply to all Copilot Plus PC laptops or specifically to models with Qualcomm's Arm-based processors, the promise of improved speed and extended battery life is certainly enticing.
These are using Arm-based Qualcomm chips to deliver longer battery life, and those with AMD and Intel chips will become available later this year.
Copilot Plus PC Hardware Requirements
The term "AI PC" has been making rounds in the tech industry, promising a new era of computing that will revolutionize the way we interact with our devices. But what exactly constitutes an AI PC? Currently, most AI services, including Microsoft's Copilot, rely heavily on cloud computing. While this approach has its advantages, it also comes with some drawbacks. Latency, or the delay between a user's input and the AI's response, is one of the most significant issues. By running Copilot locally on PCs, Microsoft aims to minimize this lag, providing users with a more seamless and responsive experience.
To ensure optimal performance, Copilot Plus PCs will have certain minimum specifications. These include at least 16GB of RAM, 256GB of SSD storage, and an integrated neural processor (NPU). Microsoft projects that over the next year, 50 million laptops will be sold under the Copilot Plus PC branding, indicating a significant anticipated adoption rate.
Intel has recently revealed that next-gen AI PCs will require built-in neural processing units (NPUs) with over 40 TOPS (trillion operations per second) of power. The NPU is the heart of an AI PC, designed to handle the complex calculations required for AI applications. Just as GPUs revolutionized gaming by offloading graphics processing from the CPU, NPUs will do the same for AI tasks. NPUs are expected to become as ubiquitous as GPUs, and running AI applications on CPUs will be a thing of the past.
This is a significant leap from the capabilities of current consumer processors, with Apple's M4 lineup offering up to 38 TOPS and AMD's Ryzen 8040 and 7040 laptop chips providing 16 and 10 TOPS, respectively.
The Potential Benefits of AI PC
Running Copilot locally on PCs offers several potential benefits:
Reduced latency: By processing smaller AI tasks locally, users can expect faster response times and a more fluid experience.
Improved performance: Local AI computing can help optimize system resources, leading to better overall performance.
Enhanced privacy: With less reliance on cloud computing, sensitive data can be processed locally, providing an additional layer of privacy.
As the race for local AI computing heats up, major players in the industry are gearing up to meet the demands of this new era. Qualcomm's upcoming Snapdragon X Elite processor, boasting 45 TOPS of AI compute speed, may be the first to meet the requirements for running Copilot locally. Intel, too, has plans to triple its current NPU speeds with its Lunar Lake chips, set to arrive in 2025. The recently launched Apple M4 chip also capable for 38 TOPS performance.
Microsoft Copilot+ PC Surface Laptop
The new Surface Laptop was the first Copilot+ PC detailed at Microsoft’s event. The new Surface Laptop has thinner bezels and Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite chipset. Its touch display can hit 600 nits of brightness, with availability in 13- and 15-inch options, and there's a studio camera. It is 80 percent faster than the previous generation, with a battery that can get over 22 hours per charge. It comes with up to 32GB of RAM and up to 1TB of SSD storage. There’s the Copilot key and a haptic touchpad. The Surface Laptop starts at just $1,000, with shipments going out on June 18.
Meanwhile, the Surface Pro will have a snazzy OLED display option for the first time. It's said to be 90 percent faster than the previous generation and get up to 14 hours of local video playback on a single charge. A version with an LCD screen starts at $1,000 and it comes with a Snapdragon X Plus chip, 256GB of storage and 16GB of RAM. The OLED display option starts at $1,500. Keep min mind a physical keyboard is sold separately. The new Flex Keyboard costs $350, or $450 if you want to bundle in a Surface Pen.
Samsung Galaxy Book4 Edge
The 14-inch Galaxy Book4 Edge starts at $1,349.99 with a 12-core 3.4GHz Snapdragon X Elite processor with 4.0GHz Dual Core Boost, 16GB of RAM, and 512GB SSD (up to 1TB). It has a 14-inch, 120Hz 2880 x 1800 AMOLED touchscreen capable of up to 500 nits brightness, with HDR and VRR and 120 percent of the P3 gamut. It weighs 2.6 pounds.
The 16-inch model comes in two versions: one with the highest-end Snapdragon X Elite processor (with a boost up to 4.2GHz) and 1TB of storage, for $1,749.99, and one with the same processor as the 14-inch and 512GB of storage for $1,449.99. They share the same display specs as the 14-inch, just, you know, bigger. In addition to two USB 4 Type-C ports, HDMI 2.1, and combo audio, the 16-inchers each come with a USB 3.2 Type-A port and a microSD card slot. Both weigh 3.4 pounds.
Acer Swift 14 AI
Acer Swift 14 AI sports a unique AI icon stamped on the cover of the thin-and-light chassis and an Activity Indicator on the touchpad that illuminates when the device or Copilot is activated. It features a 14.5-inch WQXGA (2560x1600) IPS display with a 120 Hz refresh rate. It is available with edge-to-edge touchscreen options and a 180-degree hinge design. A 1440p QHD IR webcam with a triple microphone array and privacy shutter.
This Copilot+ PC comes with Windows Hello that supports biometric and facial recognition login for quick and secure access. The device boasts Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth™ 5.4 connectivity to deliver speeds of up to 5.8 Gbps and low network latency of under 2 ms, plus a host of generous port selections including two USB Type-C and two USB 3.2 Type-A ports for added flexibility.
ASUS Vivobook S 15
Vivobook S 15 runs on the Snapdragon X Elite chip with a built-in Qualcomm Hexagon neural processing unit (NPU), which ASUS claims can process 45 TOPS. The PC ships with a 1TB PCIe 4.0 SSD and up to 32GB of 8448 MHz LPDDR5X RAM. It has a 15.6-inch OLED screen with a 2,880 x 1,620 resolution and an 89 percent screen-to-body ratio. It also includes a Harmon Kardon-certified audio system with Dolby Atmos sound. ASUS claims its 70 Wh battery can last up to 18 hours.
One of the Vivobook S 15’s selling points is its thin aluminum body: Its tapered design has a thickness ranging from only 0.58 to 0.63 inches (14.7 mm to 16 mm). The PC weighs a mere 3.13 lbs (1.4 kg), slightly lighter than Apple’s 15-inch MacBook Air. The ASUS Vivobook S 15 is available for pre-order now, starting at $1,300.
Dell 5 AI Laptops
Dell announced that it’s releasing five Qualcomm-configured laptops: the XPS 13 (9345), Inspiron 14, Inspiron 14 Plus, Latitude 7455, and Latitude 5455. The new XPS 13 is powered by a midrange 12-core Snapdragon X Elite processor with Dual Core Boost. It will support up to 64GB of memory, up to 2TB of PCIe SSD storage (with a 4TB option post-launch), and three 13.4-inch display options: a 500-nit 1920 x 1200 non-touch IPS display with a 120Hz refresh rate; a 500-nit 2560 x 1600 IPS touch display with HDR and a 120Hz refresh rate; and a 400-nit, 60Hz 2880 x 1800 OLED touch display with HDR.
All three configurations have a 1080p webcam that supports Windows Hello, and USB4 Type-C with DisplayPort 2.1 and Power Delivery. The OLED version will be slightly thinner than the IPS versions, at 0.58 inches compared to 0.60 inches, but all three will weigh the same 2.6 pounds.
HP OmniBook X and EliteBook Ultra
The HP Omnibook X is a 14-inch model with a 2240×1400 IPS touchscreen, double USB-C ports and USB-A just to keep you covered. The webcam is at 5 megapixels, complete with infrared for Windows Hello, and there’s an option for a Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4 upgrade (though 6E and 5.3 are standard). RAM starts at 16GB of DDR5 with an optional 32GB upgrade, and storage comes in a similarly variable 512GB, 1TB, or 2TB Gen4 SSD. Its 59 watt-hour battery can handle over 26 hours of local video playback. It will go on sale June 18 for a base price of $1,099.
The more premium HP EliteBook Ultra is a 14-inch design at.33 inches thick at the front, though the rear at .56 inches. It's weight is 2.97 pounds. The display is the same 2240×1400 resolution with touch. The EliteBook gets the same double USB-C, single USB-A port setup, 5MP camera, and wireless options as the OmniBook, but it maxes out at 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage. The same 59-watt-hour battery with the same super-long video life estimates. The EliteBook Ultra will go on sale in June starting at $1,699.
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x and ThinkPad T14s Gen 6
Starting at just 2.82lbs (1.28kg) and as thin as 0.50” (12.9mm), the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x is as portable as it is powerful. It comes with a vivid 14.5” 16:10 3K 90Hz 1000nits peak brightness PureSight OLED touch panel with both 100% sRGB and P3 color gamut support. The FHD MIPI IR Webcam features four Voice ID microphones for clearer conversations. Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x will be available starting June 2024, with an expected starting price of $1,199.
Aimed at the enterprise market and including their ThinkShield security suite, the ThinkPad T14s Gen 6 is aimed at bringing AI functionality to the corporate environment. Including a 14” display in an ultrathin form factor which comes in a very corporate pleasing Eclipse Black colour, the ThinkPad T14s will have a range of options ranging up to a 14-inch 2.8K resolution OLED panel with DCI-P3 support. It includes 64GB of RAM, with a 1TB Gen 4 M.2 SSD, and on the security side includes the sam FHD + IR MIPI Camera as the Yoga Slim 7x, though with a privacy shutter, and also includes a fingerprint scanner in the power button for additional options for login. Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 6 will be available starting June 2024, with an expected starting price of $1,699.
Apple M4 new 10-core Chip
At the core of the M4 chip lies a new CPU with up to 10 cores, delivering up to 1.5x faster CPU performance compared to the already powerful M2 chip found in the previous iPad Pro. This boost in performance enhances pro workflows across various apps, such as working with complex orchestral music files in Logic Pro or applying highly demanding effects to 4K video in LumaFusion.
The M4's new 10-core GPU is building upon the next-generation GPU architecture introduced in the M3 chip. It brings Dynamic Caching, an Apple innovation that dynamically allocates local memory in hardware and real-time, dramatically increasing GPU utilization and performance for the most demanding pro apps and games. For the first time, the M4 chip brings hardware-accelerated ray tracing and mesh shading to the iPad Pro, enabling more realistic shadows, reflections, and visually complex scenes in games and graphics-intensive apps. Pro rendering performance in apps like Octane receives a massive boost, now up to four times faster than on the M2 chip.
Apple's Most Powerful Neural Engine Ever
The M4 chip features Apple's most powerful Neural Engine to date, capable of an astonishing 38 trillion operations per second (TOPS) – 60x faster than the first Neural Engine in the A11 Bionic chip. Combined with next-generation machine learning (ML) accelerators in the CPU and a high-performance GPU, the M4 chip makes the new iPad Pro an outrageously powerful device for artificial intelligence tasks. Users can now accomplish amazing AI feats quickly and on-device, such as isolating a subject from its background throughout a 4K video in Final Cut Pro with just a tap or automatically creating musical notation in real-time in StaffPad by simply listening to someone play the piano.
One of the key features of the M4 chip is its ability to run AI apps on-device, using AI inference powered by the chip's powerful Neural Processing Unit (NPU). This has several benefits for users:
Privacy: By running AI apps on-device, sensitive user data doesn't need to be sent to the cloud for processing, enhancing privacy and security.
Speed: On-device AI inference eliminates the need for data to be sent to and from the cloud, reducing latency and enabling faster, more responsive AI applications.
Offline functionality: AI apps can continue to function even when the device is not connected to the internet, as they don't rely on cloud servers for processing.
Efficiency: The M4's powerful NPU is optimized for AI workloads, allowing for efficient processing that minimizes the impact on battery life.
Qualcomm's Snapdragon X Elite
Apple is not alone in the race to bring powerful AI capabilities to personal computing devices. Qualcomm, a leading chipmaker, has been providing its Snapdragon chipsets to PC companies like Asus, who recently announced that it would introduce its first 'AI PC' based on Qualcomm's Snapdragon X Elite system-on-chips later this month. These new SoCs are expected to bring together high performance, on-device AI acceleration, and long battery life, potentially reshaping the PC market in the coming quarters.
The Qualcomm Hexagon NPU delivers up to 45 TOPS of AI performance. Qualcomm says its chip is also the “first PC processor with an integrated always-sensing ISP” that can be used to detect if a person is front of the computer or eye tracking. This allow a PC to lock the screen when you look away, automatically center you in the frame during video calls, or make it appear as if you’re looking at the camera when you’re actually glancing a bit to the side.
Snapdragon X Elite is capable of running generative AI LLM models over 13B parameters on-device. It also includes the updated dual Micro NPU inside the ultra-low power Qualcomm® Sensing Hub for enhanced security, login experience and privacy, including the ability to wake the device when in sleep mode.
Keep in mind that the M4's 38 TOPS is based on INT8, while the 45 TOPS number from Qualcomm is based on INT4. According to NVIDIA Benchmark Data, INT4 precision can potentially bring an additional 59% speedup compared to INT8, which means the 45 TOPS (INT4) benchmark number could be around 28 TOPS (INT8). The Apple M4 38 TOPS (INT8) can possibly be 35% better than the Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite 28 TOPS (INT8) in ML performance.
Intel's Lunar Lake Processors
Intel's Lunar Lake processors are slated for release in Q3 2024. With more than 80 new laptop designs across over 20 original equipment manufacturers, these processors will bring AI performance to a global scale for Copilot+ PCs. The Lunar Lake processors will feature a neural processing unit (NPU) capable of handling over 40 TOPS, providing the necessary capabilities for the upcoming Copilot+ experiences.
In addition to the NPU, Lunar Lake processors will also be equipped with a graphics processing unit (GPU) delivering more than 60 TOPS, bringing the total platform performance to over 100 TOPS. This level of performance will enable laptops to handle even the most demanding AI and machine learning tasks with ease, opening up new possibilities for users in fields such as content creation, gaming, and productivity.
Intel's commitment to delivering AI performance at a global scale is evident in its plans to ship more than 40 million AI PC processors this year, building on the success of its Intel® Core™ Ultra processors and the upcoming Lunar Lake lineup.
In addition to its partnership with Microsoft, Intel is also working with more than 100 independent software vendors as part of its AI PC Acceleration Program. This collaboration aims to enhance AI PC experiences across a wide range of applications, including personal assistants, audio effects, content creation, gaming, security, streaming, and video collaboration.
Microsoft's Vision: Copilot+ PCs
Microsoft says the first Copilot+ PCs will begin shipping next month, sometime in June. Many of these next-gen AI experiences won’t be available right away, however, as those are expected to launch later this year.
As the technology landscape continues to evolve, Microsoft's introduction of Copilot Plus PCs demonstrates the company's commitment to pushing the boundaries of what is possible with AI and personal computing. By collaborating with major laptop manufacturers and integrating AI capabilities directly into the hardware and operating system, Microsoft is paving the way for a future where AI is an integral part of our daily computing experience.
The competition among Intel, Apple, and Qualcomm in the AI chipset market is set to drive innovation and push the boundaries of what's possible with on-device AI capabilities. As more powerful and efficient NPUs are developed, users can expect to see a wider range of AI-powered applications and experiences on their personal computing devices, from advanced image and video processing to natural language understanding and beyond.
