Betting on Qualcomm's new chip, Microsoft claims that the "next generation AI PC" to be announced next month will surpass Apple

Source: Hard AI

Author: Fang Jiayao

Microsoft plans to hold a grand AI PC launch event in Seattle on May 20th, showcasing the vision of "AI PC" in both hardware and software fields. The Snapdragon X Elite chip to be launched by Qualcomm will be applied to multiple Windows laptops released this year. This event will take place the day before Microsoft's annual Build developer conference.

On Monday, April 9th, media reports cited sources saying that Microsoft is confident in its new generation of Windows laptops with Arm processors. The company believes that these devices will outperform Apple's MacBook Air with M3 chips in terms of CPU performance and AI acceleration tasks.

Sources mentioned that Microsoft's vision has evolved from "bringing personal computers into every home" ten years ago to today's "providing intelligent assistants for everyone." Microsoft aims to turn personal computers into true personal assistants by integrating AI technology, enabling them to intelligently and proactively assist users in daily tasks.

After detailing its AI PC plans in May, Microsoft also plans to launch a series of new Windows devices based on Arm architecture in June. By the end of 2026, it is expected that 50% of Microsoft's newly launched Windows devices will be equipped with chips capable of running AI applications.

Microsoft Increases Bet on Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite Chip

After years of waiting for Qualcomm to deliver on its performance promises, Microsoft is increasing its bet on the Snapdragon X Elite processor. They believe that the upcoming Snapdragon X Elite processor from Qualcomm will meet their performance expectations, further driving the development of the Windows on ARM platform.

Microsoft is confident in this new Qualcomm chip, which will be featured in multiple Windows laptops this year as well as Microsoft's latest consumer-facing Surface hardware. Microsoft plans to demonstrate these chips in CPU tasks, AI acceleration, and application simulation, showcasing them to be faster than the M3 MacBook Air.

Rosetta 2 is an application compatibility layer used by Apple on its Mac computers with Apple silicon chips to convert applications compiled for 64-bit Intel processors to Apple's own processors. According to sources, Microsoft internally stated that these new Windows AI PCs will be faster in application simulation speed compared to Apple's Rosetta 2

Next-generation Surface equipped with AI chip, surpassing traditional computing experience

It is understood that Microsoft plans to equip its upcoming consumer versions of Surface Pro 10 and Surface Laptop 6 with Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite chips instead of Intel Core Ultra chips. Previously, Microsoft had released enterprise-focused versions of Surface Pro 10 and Surface Laptop 6, which were powered by Intel Core Ultra processors. However, the Arm version will be targeted at the consumer market.

Devices internally referred to by Microsoft as "next-generation AI assistant PCs" will be equipped with Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite processors, distinguishing them from existing PCs using AMD's latest chips or Intel Core Ultra processors. This new category of PCs will be the first to receive new AI-driven Windows features, including an application called AI Explorer, allowing users to "retrieve everything they have seen or done on the device."

Public information shows that AI Explorer is a new timeline feature that allows users to review past actions across various applications. Specifically, AI Explorer scans the event timeline using the neural processing unit (NPU) chip on the device, compatible with all Windows applications, enabling users to easily retrieve previous operational states.

Furthermore, Microsoft is committed to improving video streaming performance on Arm laptops. Through a new AI-driven feature, users can experience higher quality audiovisual enjoyment on "next-generation" AI PCs. These PCs will also feature Windows Studio Effects, enabling functions like background blur. Additionally, users can create images for free using AI models and allow Copilot access to PC context to enhance accuracy in prompts and responses.

Addressing the long-standing challenge of application emulation, Microsoft has introduced x64 application emulation support in Windows 11 to ensure that these applications can run on Windows on Arm devices even without native ARM64 versions. It is worth mentioning that the release of the Chrome ARM64 version by Google further supports the performance improvement of upcoming Windows on Arm laptops.

Not only Microsoft, but Qualcomm also has full confidence in its new chips. Recently, the company showcased its Snapdragon X Elite chip, which outperforms Apple's M2 chip and Intel's latest Core Ultra 7 chip in multiple metrics. Qualcomm stated that the vast majority of Windows games should run "seamlessly" on the upcoming Arm laptops, indicating that users can expect to see more gaming laptops powered by Arm chips in the future