Microsoft Introduces Copilot Plus PCs

Microsoft introduced the Copilot+ PC category in May 2024, defining a class of Windows laptops with neural processing units capable of at least 40 trillion operations per second for AI workloads.

The first wave used Qualcomm Snapdragon X processors, bringing Arm-based Windows PCs back into the spotlight. An NPU can run neural-network inference more efficiently than a CPU or GPU for suitable workloads, particularly when the task needs to operate continuously within a laptop’s power budget.

Microsoft demonstrated features such as Recall, which captured searchable snapshots of on-screen activity. Security and privacy criticism forced the company to delay and redesign parts of Recall, illustrating that local AI can reduce cloud dependence while still creating serious risks if sensitive data is collected too aggressively on the device.