On Tuesday the 21st, in two days, Microsoft Build 2024 will start, an annual event for developers hosted by Redmond that tends to have a somewhat lower profile in terms of the general public than the two main references in this sense, Google I/O and Apple WWDC . So much so that Build events usually don’t hold events for the general public in style key notes the inauguration of Apple and Google.

So sometimes they schedule an event, this one with a more public profile, that takes place quite close to the developer meeting, where announcements are made that are much larger in scope. Of course, as surprising as it may be these days, these presentations are not streamed online, again unlike what happens with Apple and Google. This is not a criticism, each company decides based on its own reasons, what kind of communication policy it wants to have, but Yes, I will admit that I find it quite strange..

Be that as it may, that will happen in a week starting in a few hours, with an event taking place tomorrow, Monday the 20th, followed by Microsoft Build 2024 starting on Tuesday the 21st. So we expect a large portion (if not all) of the relevant announcements to take place tomorrow, we can also expect that in the various activities that will take place in the following days, important aspects for the future will also be revealed. So, without further ado, here’s what we expect.

Artificial Intelligence

Of course, fashion technology will undoubtedly take over in 2023 and 2024 quite an important space for both Monday’s Surface event and Microsoft Build 2024. OpenIA and Google set the bar high this week, showing off their work on what they want to be next-generation AI-based digital assistants. Something we also expect from Apple at WWDC 2024 next June.

Do we expect the same from Microsoft? In fact, it seems highly unlikely.. What we’ll see at tomorrow’s event, and likely to be further developed at Microsoft Build 2024, will have to do with computer and operating system capabilities that are set up to perform AI-based tasks locally, highlighting the IA “spec” PC (yes, I put that in quotes because it’s actually more of a basic definition than a specification).

So whether under the banner of Copilot, or with the name that has recently started to appear “AI Explorer”, its announcement in relation to artificial intelligence will certainly focus on greater integration into the operating systemboth functions that can be performed locally (ie without the need for the cloud to participate in the process) and services that Microsoft and its partners already offer today.

Recall that since its first announcement, it has offered the integration of Copilot in Windows 11 direct access to configure some aspects of the system. It is possible that we will see some progress in this regard, especially in response to what Google and OpenAI have shown, but while we know that Microsoft has been working on its own AI for some time, all indications are that there is still a lot of work to be done. until they can offer something similar.

Snapdragon X Elite

Quite a long time has passed since then We look forward to the commercial debut of the Snapdragon X Elite platform, Qualcomm’s jump into the PC ecosystem, with which it tries to imitate what those from Cupertino did with Apple Silicon, that is, to demonstrate the competence of the ARM architecture in this environment. A gamble in which Qualcomm seems to have managed to get the big manufacturers on board, a clear sign that they seem to have done a very good job, which we look forward to verifying.

Up until now, yes, all the information we have about it is based on leaks, but that is set to change in a few hours with the launch of the Surface Pro 10 ARM, which will the first device presented with a Qualcomm chip. Advertising which in addition. This makes particular sense in the context of Microsoft Build 2024, precisely because of what we saw in the previous section, the focus on artificial intelligence.

Recall that of the specifications that have already been published for the Snapdragon X Elite, one of the most notable is its AI computing capacity, which is estimated at 45 MIP (with accumulated CPU+GPU+NPU). This figure is lower than that specified by Intel and Microsoft for IA PCs, but still far beyond what the current generation of embedded computers offers, so it will allow us to see systems capable of more locally based operations.

Surface Family

At the end of March, Microsoft introduced its new models of Surface devices, but contrary to what we expected, these were only devices for the business market and, despite some rumors that indicated this, did not ultimately mark the market debut of the platform. Snapdragon X Elite. At the same time, it was already quite clear to us that the next event would not be long in coming, with a new Qualcomm integrated device and devices for the domestic market. And that’s what we hope for tomorrow.

As I reported earlier, the big star of Microsoft’s Build 2024 event is set to be the Surface Pro 10. But that doesn’t mean it’ll be the only thing announced tomorrow, as rumors suggest that The Laptop 6, which we already saw in March, will also make the leap to a new platform from Qualcomm, in addition to also following the movement we expect with the Pro 10, which is to appeal to the general public, not just the business environment.

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