Starting with the artificial intelligence surge in 2023, the term “AI PC” has grown to become the computing industry’s favorite buzzword. For most of that time, we didn’t have a real definition to explain what an AI PC actually is. Sure, we know that an AI PC has a Neural Processing Unit (NPU) for completing AI-based tasks on-device. Outside of that, the term represented a bunch of unknowns. That changed last week, when Intel and Microsoft teamed up to share a unified vision for the future of AI PCs at Intel’s AI Summit in Taiwan. Now that we know what the two companies consider an AI PC — and what their plans are for next-gen AI PCs — there are four things you can expect to see from the new computers.
4 The Copilot key is here to stay
Love it or hate it, the Copilot key will be a permanent fixture on AI PCs
Microsoft announced that it would be adding a Copilot key to laptops in January, but it hasn’t been ubiquitous on every laptop released after the reveal. Some laptops, such as the Dell XPS 16 (2024) and the Lenovo Yoga 7have already incorporated the Copilot key into their keyboards. However, since Microsoft did not make the Copilot key mandatory for all Windows 11 laptops, plenty of computers have shipped without it. But there’s a bit of a catch: Microsoft clarified last week that all AI PCs must include a Copilot key. If a manufacturer wants to market their latest offering as an AI PC — and capitalize on the surrounding hype — they’ll need to make sure there’s a Copilot key onboard.
While the Copilot key isn’t an outright requirement for all Windows laptops, the ability to use AI PC branding will certainly be a factor when manufacturers decide whether to add it to their new laptop. It shows that, if there were any doubts, Microsoft wants Copilot to be a mainstay in the future of Windows. Chances are, the next Windows laptop you buy will feature the Copilot key. There are plenty of implementations of Copilot and AI coming from Microsoft that might change significantly or be canned altogether, but the dedicated button for Copilot isn’t going anywhere.
Related
3 things I learned using the Copilot key on laptops for a week
It might be months or years before you daily drive a laptop with a Copilot key. Let’s find out what it’s like.
3 NPUs need to meet strict power requirements
Right now, the threshold is 40 TOPS, but that will likely increase over time
Aside from the Copilot key mandate, Microsoft and Intel also told us what to expect in terms of NPU performance. The chipmaker’s roadmap entails increasing the number of TOPS, which stands for Trillions of Operations per Second, that next-generation NPUs can complete. The higher the number of TOPS a chip can complete, the better. The two companies said that AI PCs will need to hit a minimum of 40 TOPS, and that’s the closest thing to a specific hardware requirement for AI PCs to date. It was previously speculated that AI PCs would need increased performance capabilities and possibly greater minimum RAM requirements, but nothing was certain.
Todd Lewellen, who is the vice president of Intel’s Client Computing Group, told Tom’s Hardware that “there’s going to be a continuum or an evolution, where then we’re going to go to the next-gen AI PC with a 40 TOPS requirement in the NPU.” This not only forecasts what Microsoft and Intel expect next-generation AI PCs to include, but also foreshadows the potential for minimum TOPS values to increase for future AI PCs. These requirements will likely evolve over time, as performance demands for software AI features change.
Related
Intel’s process roadmap to 2025: Intel 7, 4, 3, 20A, and 18A explained
Intel has outlined its new processes for the next few years, but what does it all mean?
2 Intel is leading the AI PC charge
The chipmaker shares Microsoft’s vision and is heavily supporting AI software
Source: Intel
Another thing we learned is that your next AI PC will probably be from Intel. There will be options available from AMD, Qualcomm, and others that launch over time. However, it’s Intel that is going all-in on the AI PC and is aligned with Microsoft in its mission. For starters, Microsoft previously said it hopes 2024 is the “year of the AI PC,” and Intel wants to ship 100 million computers with AI accelerators by the end of next year. Intel also has the Core Ultra platform, which is an NPU-equipped chipset that can handle AI PC tasks on the newest laptops. There will be a competition among the major chipmakers to dominate the AI PC market, but Intel is certainly leading thanks to its early collaboration with Microsoft and software developers.
1 The goal is to bring AI on-device
Microsoft wants AI PCs to run Copilot without needing cloud servers
Most importantly, Microsoft and Intel made it clear at the AI Summit that the end goal for tools like Copilot is on-device processing. If you use Microsoft Copilot on a laptop today, it’ll send your request to Microsoft servers for processing. Then, once Copilot has completed your request, the finished response will be sent back to your laptop. On-device AI processing is beneficial for both Microsoft and Copilot users. The company won’t have to pay for cloud processing on its servers, and users will get faster speeds that will lead to quicker responses.
Here’s how Lewellen, the Intel VP, described the future of Copilot and local computing:
[…]And as we go to that next gen, it’s just going to enable us to run more things locally, just like they will run Copilot with more elements of Copilot running locally on the client. That may not mean that everything in Copilot is running local, but you’ll get a lot of key capabilities that will show up running on the NPU.
Above all, Intel and Microsoft want to make AI PC hardware powerful enough to start handling more tasks on-device. Local processing is the main way a processor featuring an NPU will provide a noticeable benefit to real users. New Macs and PCs are technically AI PCs in the sense that they have an NPU, but the component is otherwise underutilize. Microsoft and Intel are planning to finally change that on future AI PCs running Windows with local Copilot functionality.
Related
4 ways Macs are still the best AI PCs
Don’t let Apple’s quiet approach to artificial intelligence fool you. Macs are still some of the best AI PCs on the block.
When is it time to upgrade to an AI PC?
Though the AI PC has a bright future, it’s probably not time to buy in right now. Currently, there are only a select number of applications on Windows that can actually take advantage of the dedicated NPU offered by AI PCs. The goal is certainly on-device processing, but software support and hardware still need to improve before on-device AI is something that actually matters for most Windows users. Plus, there will likely be a lot of advancement in NPU performance in the first few generations of processors that include one. Instead of rushing to get an AI PC today, it’s a better idea to upgrade when your current laptop needs replacing. Whenever you do decide to upgrade, you can expect to see the four things on this list contributing to your future AI PC.
Related
What is an AI PC and is it worth the hype?
Explore the world of AI PCs, and learn whether all the hype is justified.