Microsoft announced at IFA 2024 that Copilot+ features are coming to AMD and Intel-powered laptops in November. This expansion broadens the availability of the AI-powered suite beyond the initial Qualcomm-exclusive release earlier this year. A free Windows 11 update will deliver the Copilot+ experience to compatible devices.
This announcement follows months of speculation regarding AMD and Intel’s integration with Copilot+. While both companies had affirmed support for the AI features on their respective Ryzen AI 300 and Lunar Lake processors, concrete timelines remained elusive until now. The timing coincides with Intel’s full unveiling of its Lunar Lake laptop CPUs, set to launch later in September. AMD’s Ryzen AI 300 chips are already available in laptops like the Asus Zenbook S 16 OLED.
Both chip families satisfy Microsoft’s minimum Copilot+ requirements, which mandate a Neural Processing Unit (NPU) with a minimum processing power of 45 Tera Operations Per Second (TOPS). This benchmark ensures sufficient performance for the demanding AI tasks Copilot+ performs.
Starting in November, eligible laptops will gain access to a range of Copilot+ features. These include Live Captions with translation capabilities, enabling real-time multilingual captioning. Microsoft Paint will integrate image generation, while the Photos app will offer AI-powered adjustments. Furthermore, Windows Studio Effects will be available for enhanced video calls, although these features are already present on current and previous-generation laptops.
One notable feature, Recall, remains uncertain. Previously removed from Copilot+ due to privacy concerns, Recall tracks user activity to provide context-aware responses. While Microsoft has confirmed an October release for Windows Insiders, its broader availability alongside the AMD and Intel Copilot+ rollout in November is yet to be confirmed.
Both AMD and Intel assert performance advantages over Qualcomm for AI processing. Intel claims its Lunar Lake NPU achieves 50 TOPS, while AMD boasts the Ryzen AI 300 as the market’s fastest NPU. The true performance capabilities of these processors with Copilot+ will be assessed upon its release in November.
