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What you better know
Microsoft is all-in on AI.
The company rolls out Copilot or another AI set of tools to new apps every month.
Many new laptops in 2024, including the XPS 14, feature NPUs that specialize in AI.
Windows 11, Edge, and even Windows laptop keyboards all have a connection to AI.
But will using all these AI features require new or more powerful hardware?
Arecent reportstates that at least 16GB of memory will be required for Copilot and AI features.
Keyboards on Windows PCs will feature a Copilot key going forward.
But after some digging, it seems unlikely that PCs will need 16GB of RAM to use AI.
Windows AI PCs
Microsoft is hard at work to integrate AI into all of its services.
Windows 11 places Copilot front and center with a shortcut to the AI-powered tool in the Taskbar.
Microsoft’s own Surface Studio could not update to Windows 11 due to the operating system’s minimum requirements.
One of the new PCs that features an NPU is the revampedDell XPS 13.
The tech giant pointed toward security reasons for requiring a TPM to upgrade to Windows 11.
Copilot is in the Taskbar, the Edge Sidebar, and may even have a shortcut from File Explorer.
Microsoft is working on Copilot and AI shortcuts within the Edge snipping tool.
There’s a chance that certain AI features will be limited to systems with more memory.
Locally processing a video using AI can be resource-intensive, so it would make sense to require certain specs.
But calling up Copilot shouldn’t take 16GB of RAM.
Microsoft may recommend 16GB of RAM to use AI features while still supporting systems with lower specs.
