Microsoft launches PC revolution with Copilot+ PCs 💻

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Microsoft’s Build conference for developers took place this week. And to kick off the week, Microsoft held a presentation to unveil the future of Windows PCs: Copilot+ PCs.

ARM processors take the PC world by storm 🚀

Microsoft has just announced a veritable revolution in the world of PCs, with the launch of a new category called « Copilot+ PCs ». Designed from the outset to take full advantage of artificial intelligence, these PCs feature completely redesigned chips. In particular, they are capable of performing trillions of AI-dedicated operations per second.

At the heart of this innovation is a brand-new component called the Neural Processing Unit (NPU). Combined with a high-performance CPU (processor) and GPU (graphics card), the NPU enables Copilot+ PCs to be up to 20 times more powerful and 100 times more efficient for AI workloads than traditional PCs.

But in addition to this new architecture, the big surprise of the presentation was Microsoft’s confidence in its move to ARM chips. As a reminder, this is the type of energy-efficient chip that already powers our everyday smartphones. Apple already made the transition a little over 3 and a half years ago, with familiar results. After a difficult start, Microsoft seems more convinced of the move to ARM for Windows.

But beyond sheer raw power, it’s the revolutionary new experiences enabled by AI that mark the real break with the past.

Copilot at the heart of the Windows experience ✨

We really are in the midst of an AI trend. Last week, OpenAI improved its chatbot with a new model. Google, for its part, is going to infuse AI into all its services. As for Microsoft, the company is going to put its AI Copilot at the heart of the Windows experience.

The « Recall » function, for example, allows you to instantly retrieve any content you’ve seen or consulted on your PC, as if you had a photographic memory. However, it does raise a number of privacy issues, which we address in a dedicated article accessible by clicking here.

Thanks to « Cocreator », directly integrated into Windows, you’ll be able to generate and edit images by AI in real time. You can combine your pencil strokes with text commands to evolve your creations on the fly.

Copilot+ PCs also facilitate communication thanks to the « Live Captions » function. It simultaneously transcribes and translates into over 40 languages any audio content read or listened to on your PC.

Finally, on every Copilot+ PC, you’ll have access to a powerful personal AI assistant, available at the touch of a button thanks to the new Copilot button integrated into the keyboards. This Copilot assistant will offer a complete, tailor-made application experience, in a clean, intuitive and high-performance interface. Copilot will provide users with the most advanced AI models available today. In the coming weeks, the GPT-4o model, just unveiled by OpenAI, will be available.

To fully exploit these new superpowers, Microsoft has forged numerous partnerships with major publishers. Adobe is bringing its flagship creative applications, such as Photoshop, to Copilot+ PCs, while DaVinci Resolve Studio and CapCut are integrating AI-powered video-editing tools.

All-new PCs with Snapdragon chip 💻

As mentioned above, Microsoft is very confident in its move to ARM chips. That’s why the first Copilot+ PCs will be equipped with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite and X Plus chips. Microsoft will launch its first Surface models on June 18. They will be joined by Acer, Asus, Dell, HP, Lenovo and Samsung at prices starting at €1,200.

Eventually, Microsoft also intends to leverage future chipsets from Intel and AMD to take Copilot+ PCs into higher-end segments, such as gaming and intensive 3D creation.

With a complete overhaul of its hardware and software architecture to place AI at the heart of the experience, Microsoft is ushering in a new era for the PC that is sure to revolutionize the way we use it. All we can do now is wait for the first real-life tests of these products.

Are you planning to change your computer soon? What do you think of these new announcements? Tell us in the comments section.