Qualcomm chips Archives

Winsage

March 31, 2025

Microsoft expands AI features across Intel and AMD-powered Copilot Plus PCs

Microsoft is enabling all Copilot Plus PCs powered by Intel and AMD processors to generate Live Captions, which translate audio into English subtitles in real time. This feature was initially tested on devices with Intel and AMD chips and is now part of the latest Windows 11 update. The update also includes Cocreator, an AI tool in Paint for generating images from text descriptions, and enhancements to the Photos app's AI image editor and generator. Previously, these features were exclusive to Qualcomm-powered Copilot Plus PCs. Microsoft is also testing Recall, an AI feature for capturing screenshots of user activity, though its release timeline is not yet announced. Additionally, Voice Access is being refreshed for improved communication, with plans to extend updates to Intel and AMD devices, including the ability to translate 27 languages into Simplified Chinese.

Winsage

December 14, 2024

Rising to the TOPS: How will NPUs and Windows AI grow in 2025?

In 2024, Microsoft introduced the "Copilot+ PC" branding for AI-capable laptops, while Apple launched Apple Intelligence. These developments have led to mixed outcomes, with features like real-time translations and on-device speech-to-text being beneficial, but others, such as Windows Recall, still proving their value. By 2025, mainstream developers are expected to integrate on-device AI into Windows applications, influencing consumer purchasing decisions. The term "TOPS" (Trillions of Operations Per Second) is becoming important for evaluating the AI performance of Windows laptops, with a minimum of 40 TOPS required for Microsoft's "Copilot PC+" designation. Qualcomm's Copilot+ PCs reported around 45 TOPS, significantly higher than Intel's 11 TOPS. By the end of 2024, premium Windows laptops are expected to see a three- to four-fold increase in NPU performance compared to 2023 models. Analysts speculate further performance improvements may occur towards the end of 2025. Despite the potential for a two- to three-fold enhancement in on-device AI performance, experts caution against overemphasizing TOPS figures, which may not accurately reflect real-world performance. The lack of a unified API for leveraging NPU capabilities in Windows complicates matters for users of Copilot+ laptops without Qualcomm chips. Although AMD and Intel have released competitive chips, Qualcomm currently holds an advantage with exclusive support for certain applications. Microsoft is promoting its low-level machine learning API (DirectML) and the Windows Copilot Runtime, which may enhance the Copilot+ PC ecosystem. While cloud-based AI solutions remain an option, the cost of these services is expected to rise, making on-device AI more appealing. The introduction of ChatGPT Pro highlights the financial implications of cloud access compared to on-device NPU usage, which incurs no additional costs. The pace of on-device AI adoption in Windows' software ecosystem is anticipated to accelerate in 2025.

AppWizard

September 4, 2024

Microsoft’s new ‘Copilot’ PCs can’t handle hundreds of popular PC games

Microsoft and its partners have launched Copilot+ PCs featuring AI-powered capabilities, moving away from Intel's architecture to Qualcomm chips based on Arm designs. However, gaming compatibility poses challenges, as many popular PC games are optimized for Intel's x86 chips. An analysis revealed that out of approximately 1,300 evaluated games, only about half functioned smoothly on the new Arm-powered PCs. Microsoft has acknowledged that some high-demand games may not work on these devices, and Qualcomm stated that their chip architecture is not currently viewed as a gaming platform. The competition between the Qualcomm-Arm alliance and Intel is expected to intensify, with predictions that new Intel chips for Windows AI PCs will gain significant market share due to better compatibility.