According to a new report, any manufacturer that wants to deliver a Windows AI PC will need at least 16GB of RAM and 40 TOPS of GPU or NPU processing power.

According to Trendforce, in order for an AI PC to run smoothly, PC manufacturers require at least 16 GB of RAM. Windows 11 today requires at least 4 GB of RAM. In addition to additional memory, the report also states that every AI PC has at least 40 TOPS of computing power on board. This can be done via the integrated GPU or via a separate NPU, as is the case with the latest Intel Core Ultra chips.

Desktop PCs can easily upgrade their PC’s memory to meet the minimum specification. This is often more difficult with laptops, as many models solder the memory to the motherboard. An upgrade is then not possible without purchasing a new device.

This is a positive development for memory manufacturers such as Samsung and Micron, which have had a difficult 2023. 16GB of RAM as standard is something, but the report also mentions the higher speed of LPDDR5x (7,500 – 8,533 Mbps) to make the Copilot AI assistant work more smoothly. Most laptops today are still equipped with standard DDR5 (4,800 – 5,600 Mbit/s).

More computing power via GPU or NPU

The higher system requirements for operation as an AI PC are necessary to run the Microsoft Copilot AI assistant quickly and smoothly. Hence the 40 TOPS of computing power. Trendforce speaks of “approximately” this amount of computing power. The recently announced Intel Core Ultra chips (Meteor Lake) deliver up to 34 TOPS. The successor to these chips, Intel Lunar Lake, is expected to triple AI performance.

AMD has enough computing power with the Ryzen 8000 series (45 TOPS), while Qualcomm also delivers around 45 TOPS with its new Snapdragon X Elite platform.

It goes without saying that this year every chipmaker will place emphasis on AI capabilities. Microsoft may also soon announce the official system requirements to get the most out of Copilot AI. This certainly gives AMD, Intel and Qualcomm an additional advantage to make new chips more powerful in the future with a separate NPU or via the integrated GPU.

Finally, we can ask ourselves whether Windows 12 still exists? With all the AI ​​applications in Microsoft Copilot, we think it’s more appropriate to keep Windows 11 and focus heavily on the AI ​​assistant. A sequel will undoubtedly follow.