The selection of Copilot+ PCs available at launch just got smaller. While neither Snapdragon X or Ryzen AI 300 series systems are delayed, one lacks Microsoft’s AI certification. Turns out, laptops with AMD processors will need to wait for a free Windows 11 update due “later this year.”
During its Ryzen AI 300 series reveal, AMD proudly boasted its chips were the best CPUs to power Copilot+ PCs. The processors’ XDNA 2 neural processing unit (NPU) boast 50 trillion operations per second (TOPS), beating the 45 TOPS offered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite. However, without certification, these chips won’t be able to access local Windows AI features. They will, of course, be usable in other applications though such as Stable Diffusion and Adobe’s Creative Cloud suite.
This blemish on the launch of Copilot+ PCs comes via John Taylor, AMD SVP and Chief Marketing Officer. In a LinkedIn post (via Tom’s Hardware), Taylor confirmed the company is “targeting Copilot+ experiences to be enabled on AMD systems later this year via a free Windows Update.”
This vague target leaves systems with AMD CPUs in a lurch that could last up to six months. However, there’s little reason to rush out and buy a Copilot+ PC right now. After all, Microsoft has delayed Windows Recall until further notice. That’s not forgetting the oddly underwhelming Snapdragon X Elite benchmarks that recently emerged too. Suffice to say, these AI processors need a while longer in the oven to reach their full potential.
Give it a few months and we should see even more Copilot+ PCs emerge, powered by Intel Lunar Lake processors. Microsoft may even find the confidence to give Windows Recall a general release by that time too. However, there’s no guarantee that Team Blue’s chips will arrive with the necessary certification.
Regardless of Copilot+ support, though, these CPUs should be more than ready to give a substantial uplift in processing performance. I’m personally more excited to see how Snapdragon X and Ryzen AI 300 stack up as CPUs. AMD’s latest chips especially interest me with their RDNA 3.5 integrated graphics, which seem perfect for handhelds and laptops alike.
