Nvidia and AMD are preparing to release gaming laptops with AI Copilot Plus features, similar to those announced by Microsoft for Qualcomm-powered laptops. At Computex today, Nvidia hinted that Asus and MSI are working on “RTX AI PC” laptops that will eventually include Copilot Plus PC features.
Nvidia stated in a blog post that the newly announced RTX AI PC laptops from ASUS and MSI will feature up to GeForce RTX 4070 GPUs and efficient systems-on-a-chip with Windows 11 AI PC capabilities. Nvidia confirmed to The Verge in a briefing that these laptops will come with AMD’s latest Strix CPUs.
AMD has not yet provided official details about its AMD Strix laptop CPUs, which it is expected to announce during its keynote later in the week. Nvidia also hinted that the initial AMD-powered Copilot Plus PCs might not receive Microsoft’s latest AI features right at launch.
Nvidia mentioned in a blog post, “These Windows 11 AI PCs will receive a free update to Copilot+ PC experiences when available.” This suggests that Microsoft may not be ready to launch features like Recall and other AI-powered Windows features on AMD chips immediately. There could also be a period of exclusivity for Windows on Arm Qualcomm-powered hardware launching on June 18th. The Verge has already contacted Nvidia to get clarification on what this free update entails.
The Battle for AI Supremacy
Nvidia is competing to stay prominent in AI-powered tasks on laptops. While Microsoft is focusing on using NPUs for AI models, Nvidia is emphasizing the capabilities of its GPUs in this AI competition on PCs. Nvidia is promoting its “RTX AI laptops,” highlighting that its GPUs can handle more demanding AI workloads compared to NPUs.
In June, Nvidia is launching an RTX AI Toolkit, which includes tools and SDKs for customizing, optimizing, and deploying models. These tools can take models like Meta’s Llama 2 and optimize them to run with lower VRAM requirements and better performance.
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Nvidia is partnering with Microsoft to integrate AI models into Windows 11. According to Nvidia, this collaboration will offer developers simple API access to GPU-accelerated small language models (SLMs). These models enable retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) capabilities, running on-device through Windows Copilot Runtime.
Microsoft is Gearing Up for AI-Enhanced PCs
Microsoft unveiled Windows Copilot Runtime at Build last month. Nvidia plans to release its acceleration of AI models using RTX GPUs in a developer preview later this year. Windows Copilot Runtime simplifies the integration of AI-powered features into apps, leveraging NPU hardware initially and Nvidia GPUs in the near future to accelerate these capabilities.
NPUs currently offer around 40 TOPS (tera operations per second) for AI tasks, emphasizing efficiency and suitability for smaller models in laptops. In contrast, Nvidia’s PC GPUs can handle over 1,000 TOPS, providing significantly higher performance. GPUs excel at managing larger AI models and are ideal for desktop PCs where power efficiency is less critical compared to laptops.
It will be fascinating to see how the AI competition unfolds on PCs, particularly with Microsoft driving the integration of these experiences directly into Windows for Nvidia, AMD, Intel, Qualcomm, and their numerous OEM partners.
Conclusion
The battle for AI supremacy in laptops is heating up. Nvidia and AMD are gearing up to launch laptops with AI Copilot Plus features, similar to Microsoft’s offering for Qualcomm machines. Nvidia’s RTX AI laptops with RTX 4070 GPUs and AMD’s upcoming Strix CPUs will be at the forefront. While Microsoft might prioritize NPUs for some AI tasks, Nvidia is pushing the capabilities of its GPUs for demanding workloads. Both companies are partnering with Microsoft to integrate AI models into Windows 11, offering developers easier access to GPU-accelerated AI functionalities. With Nvidia boasting superior performance and Microsoft at the helm of Windows integration, the coming months will reveal how this AI race plays out across various chipmakers and laptop manufacturers.
