Intel is set to refresh its Arrow Lake processors later this year, with reports indicating that the new CPUs may finally support Microsoft Copilot+ features on desktop PCs. Currently, desktop systems powered by Intel chips do not have access to Microsoft’s AI capabilities in Windows, a privilege that is available to Copilot+ certified laptops featuring Arm-based processors from companies like Qualcomm. This situation may soon change, attributed to the enhanced neural processing unit (NPU) that is expected to be a key component of the upcoming Arrow Lake CPU update.
New NPU 4 Design Expected with Arrow Lake Update
The Arrow Lake series released last year introduced significant advancements in heat management and power efficiency compared to the Raptor Lake CPUs. However, these processors fell short of delivering the required 40 trillion operations per second (TOPS) necessary for compatibility with Copilot+ features on PCs.
Users who prefer Intel processors and desire access to Copilot+ functionalities on their Windows 11 systems will have an option later this year, as the company launches refreshed versions of its Intel Core Ultra 200 processors. A report from ZDNet Korea (in Korean) suggests that these new CPUs will feature NPU 4 technology.
Intel’s Lunar Lake processors for laptops currently support Copilot+ AI features, utilizing the same NPU architecture that the forthcoming Arrow Lake refresh is expected to adopt. If these reports hold true, desktop users will soon have access to on-device AI capabilities that are already functional on various laptops.
Copilot+ computers accommodate a range of on-device AI features, including Microsoft’s controversial Recall tool, which captures screenshots of user activity for easy information retrieval. This feature was made available to Copilot+ systems earlier this year.
According to the publication, the primary upgrade for the refreshed Arrow Lake processors is likely to be the NPU. As such, customers should not anticipate substantial enhancements in CPU or GPU performance when the new processors are introduced later this year. Further insights regarding the updated CPUs are expected to emerge in the coming months leading up to their anticipated launch.
