AI is now in more things than we can care about. You might already have heard of the AI PC. Maybe also the Copilot+ PC. The AI CPU? What the heck are all these AI things about? If you feel like you’ve been left behind, don’t worry, this blog post you will bring you up to speed.
First, you should know that a lot of buzz surrounding AI right now is marketing hype. Yes, AI is doing really fascinating things and there’s certainly a lot to be excited about, but AI didn’t just appear all of a sudden. This current AI generation has been in the making for many years. It just got hyped up to a new level this year.
There are many things that count as AI. Voice assistants, for example, have been around for about a decade, with Apple Siri appearing in 2011, Amazon Alexa in 2014, and Google Voice Assistant in 2016. Google’s Magic Eraser debut in 2021.
Even AI-dedicated hardware isn’t something that just showed up this year. Remember Google’s Tensor processor that arrived in 2021 with the Pixel 6 series smartphones? It had an NPU, the neural processing unit or NPU that we’re hearing a lot about these days. Microsoft introduced Windows Hello facial recognition in 2015, which isn’t quite new to the company since they already had facial recognition in the Xbox Kinect accessory back in 2010.
Many of these “AI” getting hyped right now are mostly an evolution of the technology we’ve had for the last decade.
You’ve probably also heard of Generative AI. This isn’t new either. Its modern-day incarnation begun in 2014. OpenAI, the company behind the ChatGPT most of us know, was founded in 2015.
Hardware, software, and services are now finally coming together in a form that is meaningful to consumers, possibly offering enough value that customers may pay for, and ultimately turning a profit for the companies behind these technologies. So that is why there is much marketing now to fuel the AI excitement in consumers.
All the major tech companies have big AI plans. Some of them are coming together to drive AI in end-user computers, i.e. desktops and laptops. The new AI PC you’re hearing about refers to computers that are designed to handle “processing of more AI tasks more efficiently on the device”. It’s not that old computers can’t do the same thing; they would just be slower and deliver a poorer overall experience.
A key distinction between an AI PC and older PC is that the former has an NPU, the specialised processor unit designed to handle AI workloads. An NPU can do more AI more efficiently than a CPU or GPU can. The first processor with an NPU for a Windows-based computer is a new kid on the block: Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X processor. This new processor is ARM-based, not x86-based like those you get from Intel and AMD. Qualcomm isn’t a new company, and in fact, this isn’t their first processor for Windows PC either. However, their Snapdragon X processor seems to be a viable contender to the current Intel and AMD duopoly on processors for Windows PC.
Computers with Snapdragon X arrived in June. Right now, computers based on AMD’s new Ryzen AI 9 series processors have also just begun to ship. These AMD processors also sport NPU features. Intel also already has processors with NPU capabilities, though, they don’t count under Microsoft’s Copilot+ branding.
What’s a Copilot+ PC? This is Microsoft’s new branding and terminology that encompass certain AI capabilities for Windows computers. According to Microsoft, Copilot+ PCs are optimised to run AI workloads locally with better performance. To qualify as a Copilot+ PC, the computer must have an NPU capable of 40 TOPS (trillion operations per second) or higher.
Something to take note is that 40 TOPS is not all that impressive. Any modern NVIDIA GPU can deliver more than 40 TOPS. However, the NVIDIA GPU won’t be able to do that at a power efficiency that makes sense in a laptop computer.
Qualcomm Snapdragon X processors have NPUs that meet the 40 TOPS benchmark, so the slew of computers with these processors announced in June are all Copilot+ PCs. Intel’s current top-of-the-line Core Ultra 185H has 34 TOPS, so it does not meet the requirements of Copilot+ PC.
Oddly enough, AMD’s new Ryzen AI 9 series processors do meet the 40 TOPS requirement, but for now, they are not Copilot+ PC certified. Windows, it seems, won’t use its NPU. It probably will at a later date. The story is the same with the next generation Intel Lunar Lake processors that is likely to launch without Copilot+ PC branding.
Confusing? The TL;DR is that today, only computers with Snapdragon X processors are certified by Microsoft as Copilot+ PCs.
Does the Copilot+ PC branding really matter? That’s a really good question. Microsoft lists the following capabilities that a Copilot+ PC can do:
- Automatic Super Resolution
- Live Captions
- Paint Cocreator
- Photos enhanced features
- Windows Studio Effects
- Recall (not yet available)
I think these features are cool, can make great party tricks, but to be honest, mostly stuff I could live without.
I did think that Recall might be something I’d really like to use. It’s a feature that lets you find anything you’ve seen on your PC. However, I’m also undecided if I should be scared about my PC (or Microsoft) keeping tabs on everything that has appeared on my screen.
NPUs provide the foundation for more on-device AI capabilities that will certainly come in the future. They may not be terribly important right now. Don’t sweat it if your current PC is not an AI PC or Copilot+ PC. If you’re looking to get a laptop, I don’t think it is necessary for Copilot+ PC status to be a critical criterion. For desktop PCs, well there is no Copilot+ PC option on the table right now.
You haven’t missed much if you didn’t know what the AI PC is all about.