Windows: Intel confirms that AI Copilot will soon work without relying on the cloud on PC

Intel has confirmed that Microsoft Copilot, Windows’ artificial intelligence assistant, will soon work locally on devices. This means that users of computers equipped with compatible hardware will not need an internet connection to access smart functions of Cortana’s “successor”.

The information was revealed during the event AI Summit of Intel, held on Tuesday (26). At the time, the company revealed Microsoft’s requirements for an “AI PC” — a concept that gained attention after the launch of chips for desktops and notebooks with a coprocessor dedicated to tasks based on artificial intelligence.

According to Intel, Microsoft’s requirements for an AI PC require new generations of hardware with an integrated neural processor (NPU). Additionally, the computer must have Microsoft Copilot, as well as its dedicated keyboard shortcut.

Processors such as the Intel Core Ultra, AMD Ryzen 7040 and 8000, Snapdragon X Elite already have an integrated NPU, however, only the new Qualcomm platform — which is not yet available on the market — will be able to deliver the performance required by Microsoft to run the Copilot artificial intelligence tasks.

Company representatives stated that it will be necessary for the NPU of processors offer at least 40 TOPS (trillions of operations per second). Intel mentioned that there is a “next generation product” coming that will fit this performance requirement. Todd Lewellen, vice president of Intel’s CCG, said:

But to your point, there will be an evolution where we then go to the next generation AI PC with a 40 TOPS requirement on the NPU. We have our next generation product that is coming that will be in that category.

This is a possible mention of the “Arrow Lake” generation processors for desktops and “Lunar Lake” for notebooks that will arrive in the second half of 2024.

“As we go to the next generation, it will be possible to run more things locally, just like they will run Copilot with more elements running on PC. This may not mean that everything in Copilot is running locally, but you will have many important features that will appear working on the NPU,” said Lewellen.

The executive also revealed that Microsoft will require processors to have an integrated NPU to free up CPU and GPU resources. With an optimized and dedicated processing unit, notebooks will have better energy efficiency, and therefore, will not suffer an impact on battery life due to Copilot.

The AI ​​PC is expected to become an increasingly present product on the market from 2024 onwards, especially in light of important advances in the hardware industry, including the launch of next generations of processors from Intel, AMD and Qualcomm.