Microsoft announced the release of Windows Dev Kit 2023, mini-PC under the ARM architecture intended for developers aiming to increase the number of applications and generally strengthen the Windows platform over ARM.

The success of Apple’s silicon project, with which those from Cupertino will replace the x86 hardware architecture in favor of ARM in their PCs within three years, is the envy of the industry. The idea of ​​bringing ARM to PC is not new. Microsoft started trying this nine years ago with the Surface RT tablet. It was a bust.

Since then, Microsoft has been constantly testing it with its own models from its proven line of Surface hardware, as well as from third parties. “Windows on ARM” It was a new attempt to bring this architecture to personal computers with their operating system. That didn’t work either. And the reasons remain the same as they were a decade ago: serious performance issues and the inability to properly run common Win32 applications on Windows.

Windows Dev Kit 2023

The Windows Dev Kit 2023, announced at the BUILD 2022 conference as part of the “Volterra Project”, aims to fill this gap. It is about the first mini-PC marketed by Microsoftteam with reduced dimensions of 196 x 152 x 27.6 mm and a weight of 960 g. It is based on the SoC Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3 combined with 32 GB LPDDR4X RAM and 512 GB SSD.

It is compatible with Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.1 and has ports such as three USB-A, two USB-C and Mini DisplayPort, which allows developers to connect up to three monitors, including two with 4K resolution at 60 Hz. .

The computer also features a Neural Processing Unit (NPU) that allows developers to add artificial intelligence-based experiences to their apps and projects. Microsoft says this NPU is 90 times faster than traditional processors that don’t include a dedicated processor, or 20 times faster than GPUs when using specific AI models.

Windows Dev Kit 2023 is worth the price 599 dollars and is now available in the Microsoft Store in some regions.