Organizations looking to boost productivity for key Windows users should learn what Copilot+ PCs can offer and what workflows the features can help with.
Microsoft recently introduced Copilot+ PC, a new class of personal computers designed for running AI workloads, and organizations should evaluate this product to determine if it can improve productivity.
The Copilot+ PC program is part of a growing family of Microsoft Copilot products and technologies that rely on generative AI (GenAI) and access to advanced AI models. Copilot is a web-based GenAI chat service that can craft responses to a wide range of user prompts, and the Copilot+ PC program focuses on integrating this service into desktop workflows.
The service itself can be accessed for free through any major web browser, although Microsoft also offers two paid editions: Copilot Pro and Copilot for Microsoft 365. As one of the latest additions to the Copilot family, Microsoft's Copilot+ PC shows significant potential for enterprise organizations but at a larger cost as well.
What is the Copilot+ PC line and how does it work?
Copilot+ PC is essentially a Microsoft class designation given to a new type of Windows 11 desktop that must meet a specific set of hardware requirements. Devices that fit within this program are examples of AI PCs. In addition to supporting Windows 11, a Copilot+ PC must also deliver a certain level of performance. For this, the computer requires a Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus or Snapdragon X Elite processor and at least 16 GB of memory and 256 GB of SSD storage.
Undoubtedly, the most notable component in all this is the Snapdragon X processor, an Arm-based, system-on-a-chip that includes the Qualcomm Oryon computer processing unit (CPU), the integrated Qualcomm Adreno graphics processing unit (GPU), and the integrated Qualcomm Hexagon neural processing unit. The NPU can process large amounts of data concurrently while using energy more efficiently than the typical CPU or GPU. The result is better performance and longer battery life.
Copilot+ PCs can perform over 40 trillion operations per second, according to Qualcomm and Microsoft, with some estimates putting it closer to 45 TOPS. The NPU works in conjunction with the CPU and GPU to achieve these thresholds and provide users with intelligent, on-device AI experiences.
Together, the CPU, GPU and NPU deliver the performance necessary to support AI workloads, provide access to the advanced AI models, and deliver AI-accelerated services and experiences.
Copilot+ PCs also come with the Microsoft Pluton security processor -- a chip-to-cloud security technology based on zero-trust principles. The technology, which is enabled by default, serves as a crypto-processor that provides secure attestation, cryptographic services and hardware-based root of trust. The technology is built into the CPU, where it uses a secure subsystem to protect identities, credentials, personal data and encryption keys.
IT teams can deploy and manage Copilot+ PCs just like their other Windows 11 computers, utilizing the same tools and systems they already have in place. For example, administrators can use Windows Autopilot to provision new Copilot+ PCs, Windows Autopatch to perform automatic updates and Microsoft Intune to deploy security policies.
The Copilot+ program includes Microsoft Surface models such as the Surface Laptop 7th edition and the Surface Pro 11th edition, but there are third-party vendors who qualify for the program. Organizations interested in Copilot+ PCs can choose offerings from Dell, HP, Acer, ASUS, Lenovo or Samsung.
What are the features of Copilot+ PCs
Because Copilot+ PCs include Snapdragon X processors, they can deliver the type of performance to support AI workloads while accelerating user services and experiences. The computers also benefit from the large language models running in Azure Cloud.
Because of these technologies, Copilot+ PC machines can offer the following AI-enhanced capabilities, which are not available to most other PCs:
Cocreator in Paint. Cocreator is a new feature in Microsoft Paint that uses AI capabilities to help users create artwork by entering text and drawing sketches that it then renders into more polished images.
Restyle Image in Photos. With Restyle Image, users can prompt the AI to edit, restyle and in other ways enhance digital photographs.
Image Creator in Photos. The Image Creator allows users to generate and fine-tune their images through the use of AI and local small language models. This feature takes advantage of the NPU's powerful processing capabilities.
Windows Studio Effects. This feature leverages the system's NPU and AI capabilities to apply special effects to the computer's camera and microphone, making it possible to filter and improve both image and sound.
Live Captions. Users can benefit from Live Captions by translating live or prerecorded audio via the local AI from over 40 languages into English subtitles, regardless of the app or video platform.
Automatic Super Resolution. The Automatic Super Resolution feature automatically enhances a default set of games and boosts their frame rates without compromising image details.
Recall. With this feature, users can find what they've seen or done on their PCs in the past and then view the content by accessing the appropriate snapshot. Recall is currently in preview status and available only through the Windows Insider Program.
The Recall feature was supposed to be included with the initial Copilot+ PC rollout, but security and privacy concerns caused Microsoft to hold off on its official release until the feature could be further vetted and updated.
How does the Recall feature handle security and privacy?
The Recall feature was supposed to be included with the initial Copilot+ PC rollout, but security and privacy concerns caused Microsoft to hold off on its official release until the feature could be further vetted and updated. Security researchers and other experts brought forth concerns that malware could easily exploit the Recall snapshots, resulting in the exposure of the user's sensitive information.
As a result of these updates, users will have more control over their Recall experience. For example, they'll be able to add filters, stop saving snapshots and configure other Recall settings. IT administrators will also be able to prevent snapshots from being automatically saved. In addition, Microsoft has taken steps to make snapshots more secure, with snapshots stored only on the local computer. Whether these security and management enhancements will be enough to placate Windows customers and industry critics is yet to be seen.
Robert Sheldon is a technical consultant and freelance technology writer. He has written numerous books, articles and training materials related to Windows, databases, business intelligence and other areas of technology.
