The era of smart computers has begun. Both Intel and AMD already have models in their processor catalog that include NPU, which stands for Neural Processing Unit, but it’s not the only requirement we have to meet to enjoy this important advancement. Microsoft has been very clear on this and said this Windows 11 will need at least 16GB of RAM so new AI-enabled features are not a problem.

The minimum requirement to install Windows 11 is 4 GB of RAMbut with this configuration, the mentioned operating system offers very poor performance, so much so that in this situation it is better to keep Windows 10. With 8 GB of RAM, things improve, but without a doubt The optimal level is from 16 GB of RAM.

The fact is that with the popularization of AI and its arrival in the general consumer market, the resource consumption in Windows 11 will increase. Microsoft is aware of this and has notified OEMs that every Windows 11 smartphone must have at least 16GB of RAM and that it must also have a combination of CPU+GPU+NPU that reaches 40 TOP performance.

Those of you who read us daily already know what NPU is. It goes o.a specialized AI hardware capable of delivering high levels of performance and efficiency much higher than we could achieve with a CPU, for example. This component can free the CPU and GPU from tasks related to artificial intelligence, and also offers a high level of efficiency compared to other more powerful, but also more “hungry” solutions.

It is normal for Microsoft to recommend minimum requirements for OEMs to configure smart computers capable of offering good performance, but there is a problem, and today none of the Intel and AMD solutions reach these TOP 40. Intel Meteor Lake reaches a combined maximum performance of 34 TOP and the new Ryzen 8040 APU reaches a peak of 39 TOP.

The only alternative capable of exceeding this number is Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 45 TOPs. We’ll have to wait to launch the next generation AMD APUs and the new Intel Core Ultra 200 series processors (Intel Arrow Lake and Lunar Lake), so both companies can exceed the consumption requirements set by Microsoft.

It is clear that we still meet at a very early stage, and that there is still a long way to go in this new adventure called the smart PC. It will be interesting to see how this new scenario develops, what Intel and AMD will surprise us with, and how the RAM level requirements will change. I am completely convinced that this requirement It will grow exponentially and in relatively short time cycles.