According to reports, the next version of Windows will have the prerequisites needed to qualify as an AI PC.
The most recent central processing units (CPUs) from Intel and AMD have already begun the process of changing our computers into so-called “AI PCs” by incorporating dedicated AI technology. When the next version of Windows is released by Microsoft, there is every indication that this tendency will truly pick up speed in the future. There will apparently be new minimal specifications for an artificial intelligence personal computer that Microsoft will establish when that occurs. Evidently, it will be increasing the minimum amount of RAM necessary by a factor of four, bringing it up to sixteen gigabytes.
A recent research by Trendforce, which is comprised of industry analysts, is the source of the news of Microsoft’s plans. It’s fantastic news for the memory business since it will probably compel original equipment manufacturers to make 16GB the new benchmark for devices that are considered entry-level. The official minimum requirement for Windows 11 is currently 4 gigabytes, while Windows 10 only requires 1 gigabyte (32-bit) or 2 gigabytes (64-bit), which is a ridiculously low requirement. In any case, 8 gigabytes is the unofficial minimum, and it is anticipated that this number will be increased by a factor of two when the next edition of Windows is released in 2024. In accordance with the new criteria that Microsoft has established, computers will be able to operate its Copilot assistance at a level of responsiveness that is satisfactory.
According to the information from Trendforce, Microsoft has already made a decision regarding the specifications that will enable a computer to be categorized as a “AI PC” in the year 2024. The amount of TOPS, or trillions of operations per second, that the neural processing unit (NPU) is capable of performing will be the major parameter that will be used to evaluate them. This figure is supposedly set by Microsoft at 40 TOPS, which means that Intel’s Meteor Lake central processing units do not qualify because they are only at 34 TOPS. However, the successor to Meteor Lake, Lunar Lake, should be able to meet this threshold. Additionally, AMD’s most recent Zen 4 APUs will fall short of the criteria with 39 TOPS, whilst the next Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite will surpass the mark with 45 TOPS respectively. A further point to consider is that the Strix Point Zen 5 APUs manufactured by AMD will most likely be qualified by Microsoft.
Because you probably already have 32 gigabytes of RAM, or perhaps more, moving the RAM goalposts to 16 gigabytes won’t be a problem for the majority of Extremetech website visitors. If they are able to push the industry to embrace 16GB as a baseline, we are in favor of that endeavor since it will lift all boats if boats are the average performance of an entry-level machine. In addition, we are still not entirely clear how an AI personal computer will be different from the ones that we are currently using. According to Trendforce, memory speeds will also increase as the market begins to embrace LPDDRX over the outdated SO-DIMM standard. SO-DIMM remains the industry standard. There is little doubt that the implementation of CAMM modules will be a component of this industry-wide transformation.