While Microsoft is putting an end to Qualcomm’s exclusive hold on Copilot+ PC features with such capabilities coming to devices powered by Intel and AMD chips, they are only a subset of the functions the Windows giant has revealed, and not all new PCs will support the features.
Microsoft said it is rolling out Copilot+ PC features such as Live Captions and Image Creator to computers powered by Intel Core Ultra 200V and AMD Ryzen AI 300 processors, putting an end to Qualcomm’s exclusive hold over such capabilities.
The rollout started Monday, bringing Copilot+ PC features to all x86-based devices bearing Microsoft’s brand name for what it calls the “fastest, most intelligent and secure Windows PCs” after the capabilities became available for Intel- and AMD-based testers in late October. These include PCs from HP Inc., Dell Technologies, Lenovo, Asus and others.
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Microsoft said some of these features will be made available in the March 2025 Windows non-security preview update. The company plans to “gradually roll out these features with the Windows controlled feature rollout to consumers” over the next month.
While Microsoft is making Copilot+ PC functions generally available for PCs powered by Intel Core Ultra 200V and AMD Ryzen AI 300 chips, these devices don’t represent all Intel- and AMD-based computers coming to the market this year.
That’s because the Core Ultra 200V and Ryzen AI 300 processors are the only chip families from Intel and AMD so far to come with a neural processing unit (NPU) that meets Microsoft Copilot+ PC requirement for performing a minimum of 40 trillion operations per second (TOPS). This means new PCs powered by other processor lines like Intel’s Core Ultra 200U series or AMD’s Ryzen 200 series won’t get Copilot+ PC features—unless Microsoft decides to change the requirements at some point.
Nevertheless, the move expands the availability of Copilot+ PC features beyond computers that are powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X processors, which were the exclusive launch chips for Microsoft’s AI PC program last June.
Qualcomm-Based PCs Gets Updated Voice Access Feature
At the same time, Microsoft said on Monday that Qualcomm-based Copilot+ PCs are getting an update to Windows 11’s Voice Access feature that won’t be available for compatible x86-based systems until later this year.
Made available in the Windows 11, version 22H2 update, the updated Voice Access lets users control their PC “using more descriptive and flexible language” in voice command by taking advantage of the processor’s NPU, according to Microsoft.
“This can reduce the challenges faced when learning complex steps, commands and syntax that voice access previously required,” the company said.
Which Copilot+ PC Features Work With Intel, AMD Chips?
The Copilot+ PC features available for compatible x86-based devices include Live Captions, which provides “real-time translations in English for audio and video content during meetings, podcasts or video playback”; and Cocreator in Paint, which transforms sketches and text prompts into more sophisticated artwork.
The other two features are available in Microsoft’s Photos application: Restyle Image lets users apply different art styles to images while Image Creator enables users to create visuals based on detailed prompts.
Other Copilot+ PC Features Still In Testing Phase
The Copilot+ PC capabilities coming to x86-based devices are only a subset of the features Microsoft has announced over the past several months.
One feature that has yet to become generally available for all Copilot+ PCs is Recall, which was supposed to be the flagship function of such devices when they launched last June.
With Recall, Microsoft promises to provide users with a better way of finding things they accessed or viewed on their computer. The feature accomplishes this by letting users perform a natural language search against screenshots that are taken every few seconds.
However, Microsoft decided to delay Recall’s release shortly after revealing it last May due to concerns raised by privacy and security experts about how creating a central store of screenshots could give a bad actor easy access to all sorts of sensitive information.
The company has used the delay to add new security safeguards for Recall, including requirements for Windows features such as virtualization-based security and Windows Hello for biometric authentication.
After making Recall available for members of the Windows Insider Program near the end of last year, Microsoft said the feature is now set for launch in “early 2025.”
Meanwhile, a second wave of Copilot+ PC features that consist of a contextual overlay called Click to Do, an improved Windows search, and an AI-based photo upscaling feature called super resolution are set to arrive on Qualcomm-based PCs in early 2025 and on Intel- and AMD-based PCs in mid-2025, according to Microsoft.
