At IFA 2024, Microsoft confirmed that its highly anticipated Copilot+ features will soon be available for AMD and Intel laptops, with a rollout planned for November. This announcement comes as a significant development following the earlier exclusive launch of Copilot+ on Qualcomm-powered devices.
Details on the Rollout
In a recent blog post, Microsoft outlined that any AMD and Intel PCs meeting the minimum requirements for Copilot+ will receive these AI enhancements through free updates to Windows 11. This inclusion marks a pivotal moment for users who have been eagerly awaiting the integration of AI capabilities into their computing experience.
The uncertainty surrounding the availability of Copilot+ features for AMD and Intel was palpable since their initial release. Both companies had maintained that their latest processors—AMD’s Ryzen AI 300 and Intel’s Lunar Lake—would support these features, yet they had refrained from providing a specific timeline until now.
Technical Specifications
Microsoft’s announcement coincided with Intel’s detailed unveiling of its Lunar Lake laptop CPUs, which are set to hit the market later this month. Meanwhile, AMD has already introduced its Ryzen AI 300 chips, featured in devices such as the Asus Zenbook S 16 OLED. Both processor families meet Microsoft’s stringent requirements, which specify the need for a Neural Processing Unit (NPU) capable of at least 45 Tera Operations Per Second (TOPS).
Features to Anticipate
Once the update is rolled out, users can look forward to a suite of innovative features. These include:
- Live Captions with translation capabilities
- Image generation tools in Microsoft Paint
- AI-driven enhancements in the Photos app
- Access to Windows Studio Effects for improved video calls
Many of these features are already available on current and previous generation laptops, but the addition of Copilot+ will elevate the user experience significantly.
The Future of Recall
However, one feature that may not make its debut alongside the others is Recall. This feature, which has stirred some controversy due to its ability to track user activity for context-aware responses, has yet to be made available to the general public. Microsoft has indicated that Recall will be launched in October for Windows Insiders, potentially paving the way for a broader release in November, coinciding with the certification of AMD and Intel laptops for Copilot+.
Performance Expectations
Both AMD and Intel are poised to leverage their latest CPUs to deliver superior performance for AI tasks. Intel has touted its Lunar Lake NPU as capable of achieving 50 TOPS, while AMD claims that its Ryzen AI 300 CPUs boast the fastest NPU currently available. As the Copilot+ features become accessible later this year, the tech community will be keenly observing how these processors perform under the demands of advanced AI functionalities.
