Microsoft is tightening the requirements for the coming wave of AI computers: At least 16 GB of RAM for all functions
The year of “AI PCs” is dawning – at least that’s what Microsoft expects from 2024. However, the focus on features with AI support is also accompanied by a change to the minimum requirements, as the market analysts from (Trendforce) report.
If PC and laptop manufacturers want to advertise their devices as “AI PCs”, they must therefore have at least 16 GB of RAM.
Based on this figure, the demand for DRAM memory is likely to skyrocket, meaning that significantly fewer computers could be offered with the 8 GB RAM that is currently considered the standard.
For those of us who own a desktop PC, this should only be a minor issue, as RAM can be upgraded quite easily. Notebooks are more likely to have problems here, as the RAM is usually soldered in place
When Microsoft intends to implement the new standard with 16 GB RAM is still unclear. It is conceivable that the requirements could be adapted for the release of Windows 12, should it actually appear this year.
A second requirement for the AI PC label seems a little more curious. According to the Trendforce report, such computers must have an AI performance of at least 40 TOPS.
As a rule, this performance is achieved with the help of a dedicated graphics card, but what about notebooks that rely solely on a system-on-a-chip?
After all, current SoC generations are equipped with a combination of CPU, GPU and NPU the latter unit is specifically designed for such AI calculations. So can laptops built in 2023 meet the Microsoft requirements?
The answer to this question is a surprisingly clear “no”.
Because both Intel’s Meteor Lake with up to 34 TOPS and AMD Hawk Point with up to 39 TOPS cannot reach this limit. Notebooks with a CPU from the series mentioned must therefore have a dedicated graphics chip to be able to call themselves an “AI laptop”
Now both Intel and AMD will introduce new processors later this year with Lunar Lake and Strix Point respectively, which should reach the arbitrary TOPS limit.
But even before that, the first laptops with Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon X Elite will come onto the market, which at 45 TOPS will probably be the first chip to meet Microsoft’s new requirements.
This should be the first wave of AI laptops equipped with Qualcomm’s new ARM processor.
The stated requirements of 16 GB RAM and an AI performance of at least 40 TOPS could also be seen as a hint at the minimum requirements for Windows 12. It is quite conceivable that the upcoming operating system will require the same specs in order to start at all
What do you think? Will 16 GB of RAM soon actually be mandatory for new computers and laptops or is this process already in full swing? Let us know in the comments below
