Microsoft And Intel Finally Tell Us What Brands Need For Launching Their AI PCs This Year – News18

Microsoft and Intel have a big plan to make AI PCs the next-big-thing in the industry. AI is everywhere, so why not on your PCs, that seems to be the pitch from these giants. And now, slowly but gradually we’re seeing a spurt of AI-powered PCs led by Intel’s new Core Ultra 7 processor.

Microsoft is equally invested in AI (we already know that) and its PCs will share the effort with Windows 11 getting an AI boost to combine with Intel’s hardware. However, Intel and Microsoft now have a clear identity that is needed for any computer to be tagged as an AI PC.

We have already tested a few so-called AI PCs that have launched in the market this year, but most of the AI-ness about these machines are yet to bear fruit. Intel is trying to fix this gap with its new AI developer program that hopes to translate into availability of around 300 AI features in these PCs over the course of 2024 and further years. We are hoping some meaningful apps are developed in the coming months which give the whole AI PC a strong platform to build on for the future.

What Is An AI PC?

Before that, Intel says, Microsoft has set up the hardware guidelines that will be needed for brands to sell their products as AI PCs in the market from here on. The company says, the laptops need:

– Intel-powered NPU, CPU and GPU systems

– Comes with support for Copilot

– Laptops get the physical Copilot key in the layout design

So, what happens to the PCs that have launched with the Intel Core Ultra AI processors but misses out on the Copilot key? Microsoft is unlikely to see them as AI PCs, while Intel’s definition allows the model to be marketed as an AI PC. This whole strategy seems convoluted for now, and it is imperative that both Microsoft and Intel work out a plan in unison to allow the industry to seamlessly transition to the AI PC era, which as per industry reports, could help the PC market grow and become a strong force once again.