Microsoft discussed the future of Windows during the Qualcomm Summit show. Expect big changes.
An imaginary concept for Windows 12 // Source: Addy Visuals
The PC market will undergo profound changes in 2024 with the launch of new ARM chips from Qualcomm, the Snapdragon X, but also the highly anticipated release of Windows 12 by the end of the same year.
If the introduction of the ARM architecture to the PC brings significant performance and power efficiency improvements, Microsoft says it will also fundamentally change the way you use your computer.
Microsoft President Satya Nadella and Form Product Manager Pavan Davuluri were invited to the Qualcomm Summit on the sidelines of the announcements to talk about the future of Windows.
A hybrid approach between cloud and on-premises
According to comments on the Windows Central website, Microsoft’s priority will always be its hybrid approach, shared between the cloud and on-premises approach. We already mentioned this in the leaks about the future of the Xbox: Under Windows 12, certain tasks can be carried out directly on the computer, others via the cloud.
The introduction of NPUs (Neural Processing Units), these artificial intelligence chips, will allow our future PCs to accelerate AI-related tasks and even host models locally. A chip like Snapdragon
We’re making Windows the destination for the best AI experiences. In the future, this will require an operating system that simply blurs the lines between cloud and edge, and using the right silicon in the right place is fundamental to us.
For Pavan Davuluri, such an approach brings “better data protection, cost savings, latency benefits, performance optimizations and greater personalization.” »
Copilot, Windows 12’s new start button
For Satya Nadella, integrating artificial intelligence into all facets of Windows brings big changes in terms of user interface and user experience.
I think if we think about what the computer has always dreamed of, we can make interfaces much more user-friendly and natural. This will fundamentally change what an operating system is, what a user interface looks like, and how applications interact. UI changes are always important, and this is a big change.
Microsoft’s president remains stingy with details here, but expects a major overhaul of Windows 12’s user interface. All facets of the operating system will focus on AI and Copilot, its intelligent assistant integrated into the entire Microsoft software galaxy.
For the enterprise, Copilot will be like the Windows Start button, the starting point for the user’s “intent.” Then we return to the approach to the operating system: Copilot will be an assistant with which to “reason”, allowing “to learn, ask questions, create and completely change the user’s habits”.
This is primarily natural language that can be used in Copilot to perform any action in Windows. Whether it’s opening a document, searching for a file, sorting a folder, or changing a setting, Microsoft’s AI should respond to all your requests, no matter how complex.
And like any modern artificial intelligence, it learns from you, your habits, but also the context in which you use your PC (e.g. about time, place and your schedule).
Windows 12 therefore promises to be the long-awaited biggest revolution in Microsoft’s operating system, and this will inevitably bring AI with it.