Microsoft to Unveil New Surface Devices with Qualcomm AI-Powered Chips

Microsoft plans to unveil several new consumer hardware and software products on Monday at its Redmond, Washington campus.

The tech giant is expected to introduce a new version of its Surface Pro tablet and Surface Laptop, both featuring Qualcomm chips based on Arm Holdings' architecture.

For decades, Intel processors have dominated the personal computer market. However, Qualcomm and other makers of lower-power Arm components have recently been trying to gain a foothold in the Windows PC market.

The new Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite chips, which will be featured in the Surface devices, include a neural processing unit designed to accelerate AI-focused applications, such as Microsoft's Copilot software.

The event, taking place a day before Microsoft's annual developer conference, is open to journalists and industry analysts who attend in person, but it will not be live-streamed.

Microsoft aims to maintain its early lead in the race to develop AI tools that consumers are willing to pay for. Its partnership with OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT, has allowed Microsoft to outpace Alphabet in the competition to dominate the emerging AI field.

Last week, both OpenAI and Alphabet's Google showcased AI technologies capable of real-time voice responses and interruptions, features that have traditionally been challenging for AI voice assistants.

Additionally, Google announced the rollout of several generative AI features for its search engine, further intensifying the competition in the AI space.

The PC industry has also been under pressure from Apple since the company launched its custom chips based on Arm designs and moved away from Intel processors.

Apple's custom processors have given Mac computers superior battery life and faster performance compared to competitors' chips that use more energy.

In 2016, Microsoft partnered with Qualcomm to transition the Windows operating system to Arm's chip designs.

Qualcomm's exclusivity on Microsoft Windows devices is set to expire this year, opening the door for other chip designers, such as Nvidia, to enter the market.

As Microsoft continues to push the boundaries of AI and hardware integration, this upcoming event is poised to highlight its latest advancements and strategic moves in the tech industry.