Microsoft Unveils AI-Powered Copilot+ PCs

Microsoft announced a range of laptops and Surface tablets running its Copilot assistant. The company claims these would push the PC category to new heights.

Along with its own Surface products, Microsoft stated OEMs including Acer, ASUS, Dell, HP, Lenovo, and Samsung have Copilot+ laptops in the works, which are due to go on sale in mid-June. Microsoft said it completely reimagined the entirety of the PC, from silicon to the operating system, the application layer to the cloud, with AI at the center. It added this is the most significant change to the Windows platform in decades.

The company added that Copilot+ PCs are the fastest, most intelligent Windows PCs ever built, pointing to powerful new silicon capable of more than 40 trillion operations per second (TOPS), along with all-day battery life and access to the most advanced AI models. Microsoft highlighted features including Recall, a memory function covering tasks completed on Copilot+ PCs, Cocreator, which covers the production and editing of AI images in near real-time directly on the device, and Live Captions, a system that translates audio from more than 40 languages into English.

A revised system architecture combining the power of the CPU, GPU, and a new Neural Processing Unit (NPU) along with Microsoft’s large and small AI language models deliver up to 20 times more power and up to 100 times improvement in efficiency over previous Microsoft laptops and tablets in terms of running AI workloads. The tech giant is so confident it even engaged in a direct comparison with Apple’s 15-inch MacBook Air, claiming a 58% bump in sustained multi-threaded performance and up to 20% more battery for local video playback.

OEM laptops are set for sale from 18 June, with prices starting at $999. Microsoft’s latest Surface Laptop will be available with a 13.8-inch and 15-inch touchscreen, haptic touchpads, and AI-enhanced camera. Its updated two-in-one Surface Pro will offer an optional OLED with HDR, an ultra-wide field-of-view camera, and a keyboard that can be used when detached from the tablet.