Microsoft has announced that it is extending the availability of Copilot+ functionality to laptops equipped with Intel Core Ultra 200V and AMD Ryzen AI 300 processors, ending its previous exclusivity for Qualcomm Snapdragon chips. This move signals a significant shift in Microsoft’s strategy, opening up new opportunities for users and hardware manufacturers.
Among the new features available on devices with Intel and AMD processors are.
- Live Captions: allows audio to be translated into English subtitles in real time, supporting multiple languages.
- Cocreator in Paint: an AI tool to create images based on text descriptions and the elements currently being drawn.
- Advanced editing features in the Photos app: enabling, among other things, the scaling of photos to 4K resolution using local AI models.
Previously, these features were only available on devices with Qualcomm Snapdragon processors. The extension of support to Intel and AMD chips is in response to the development of NPU (Neural Processing Unit) technology in these processors, which now meet Microsoft’s performance requirements of at least 40 TOPS (trillions of operations per second).
The introduction of Copilot+ functionality to a wider range of devices has the potential to significantly impact the PC market. Users gain access to advanced AI tools, regardless of their choice of hardware platform, increasing competitiveness and innovation in the sector. For manufacturers, this means adapting to new standards and potentially investing in NPU development.
It should be noted, however, that while Microsoft has opened up Copilot+ to Intel and AMD processors, some features, such as Voice Access, will still be deployed on Qualcomm chip devices first, which may suggest a continuation of some preference to deploy new technologies.
Microsoft’s decision to expand the availability of Copilot+ features is a step towards a more open and diverse PC ecosystem, which could benefit both users and hardware manufacturers.
