All articles tagged with #windows on arm
Microsoft unveiled the second-generation Surface Pro 12-inch and Surface Laptop 13-inch, both powered by the Snapdragon X2 Plus processor, alongside a new haptic Surface Mouse. The devices feature improved battery life, faster AI performance, and new AI-driven software features, with availability starting October 13.
Lenovo is introducing NVIDIA RTX Spark (N1X) in a premium Windows on ARM lineup, with the Yoga 9n 2-in-1 and Yoga Pro 9n. RTX Spark combines a 20-core Grace ARM CPU with a Blackwell GPU (6,144 CUDA cores) and unified memory up to 128GB, delivering desktop-class graphics and up to 1 petaflop of AI performance; Windows 11 is being tuned to schedule tasks across its heterogeneous cores, and NVIDIA is prepping drivers for CUDA and DLSS on ARM. The 14-inch Yoga 9n 2-in-1 reportedly uses a high-end OLED display and a 360-degree hinge, while the 15-inch Yoga Pro 9n emphasizes speakers, cooling, and USB-C charging. Pricing and availability remain unannounced, with a fall launch window expected.
A prototype Microsoft Surface Laptop Ultra with Nvidia RTX Spark N1X hardware surfaced near Redmond and underwent hands-on benchmarks, showing a 20-core Arm CPU, 6,144 CUDA cores, 24GB unified RAM, and a 512GB SSD. Early tests revealed unfinished status (screen issues, HDR, G‑Sync) and driver-related variability, with idle power rising significantly on newer drivers. In benchmarks, RTX Spark trails Apple's M5 Pro but delivers identical performance whether plugged in or on battery; build quality is praised, and price predictions place top configurations around $4,500. The device appears not final, with drivers and firmware still evolving ahead of a launch later this year.
NVIDIA released a first preview of its CUDA toolkit for the RTX Spark platform, enabling native Arm64 optimization on Windows-on-Arm devices. Developers can review Arm64 support, plan porting strategies, and test builds as RTX Spark hardware becomes available (not yet shipping to consumers). Sega has already released AAA titles optimized for RTX Spark, signaling growing ecosystem momentum and future Spark iterations across new CPU/GPU architectures.
Microsoft’s Surface Pro 12 and Surface Laptop 8 ship with Snapdragon X2 Plus/Elite CPUs, promising faster graphics and longer battery life. The Pro arrives in a 13-inch form, the Laptop in 13.8-inch and 15-inch sizes, with Jade and Dune colors for the Laptop and Dune for the Pro. Starting prices are $1,499 (Pro 12) and $1,599 (Laptop 8) with 16GB RAM and 256GB–512GB storage; commercial X2 models arrive later at higher prices. As with last-gen, the update is mainly a chip upgrade with limited design changes, and there’s no X2 Elite Extreme in this cycle.
NVIDIA unveiled RTX Spark, its first Windows client SoC, pairing a 20-core Grace ARM CPU with a Blackwell GPU and 128 GB of Unified memory, and put it through hands-on demos on a range of OEM laptops and mini PCs from Dell, ASUS, HP, Lenovo, MSI, and Microsoft at Computex. The devices showcase AI capabilities, content creation workloads (Solidworks, Blender, Unreal Engine), and select gaming with DLSS 4.5/Frame Gen; platforms include the Dell XPS 16 Creator Edition, ASUS ProArt laptops, HP OmniBook Ultra/X, Lenovo Yoga Pro 9n, MSI Prestige N16 Flip AI+, and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Ultra, plus several RTX Spark Mini PCs. NVIDIA also teased Windows on Arm scheduler improvements for WoA 26H1 ahead of a fall launch.
NVIDIA's RTX Spark for Windows on ARM promises higher efficiency, allowing lighter, quieter notebooks. The Surface Laptop Ultra uses about 110W TDP for the GPU, lower than desktop-class GPUs (up to 175W) and below some 140W ASUS configurations, potentially reducing the need for heavy cooling. Undervolting may be possible depending on software controls, though cooling performance on thinner designs remains a key question as this technology rolls out.
Leaked details suggest a Surface Pro 13-inch with Snapdragon X2 Elite, 32GB RAM, configurable PCIe 4.0 SSDs (256GB/512GB/1TB) that are replaceable, a 13” OLED display, optional Surface Slim Pen and keyboard, two USB-C 4.0 ports, and an 80 TOPS Hexagon NPU for on-device AI, plus x86 emulation for non-native software; battery life up to about 15.5 hours. Official specs are expected June 16, with possible X2 Plus variants.
Nvidia unveiled the RTX Spark platform, pairing a 20‑core Arm CPU with 6,144 CUDA cores and up to 128GB of unified memory to run AI workloads locally on Windows-on-Arm laptops. Major OEMs including Asus, Dell, HP, Lenovo, and Microsoft are lined up to ship RTX Spark laptops this fall, with Microsoft’s Surface Laptop Ultra leveraging the platform. Nvidia positions RTX Spark as enabling agentic AI—from 12K video editing to running large LLMs locally—while acknowledging the big open question of battery life and whether such always-on AI-enabled laptops will truly deliver on mobile productivity.
Microsoft unveiled the Surface Laptop Ultra at Computex 2026, a flagship Windows-on-Arm laptop built with NVIDIA's RTX Spark platform, pairing a 20-core NVIDIA Grace CPU (Arm, co-developed with MediaTek) with a Blackwell RTX GPU and up to 128GB of unified memory. It features a 15-inch mini-LED PixelSense Ultra display (2880×1920, up to 2,000 nits), a large haptic trackpad, full ports, and a replaceable SSD, and runs Windows 11 on Arm optimized for NVIDIA Spark. Microsoft claims up to 1 petaflop of local AI compute to handle 120‑billion-parameter models offline, with a fall 2026 release and premium pricing intended for professional workloads and repairability.
Microsoft announced the 15-inch Surface Laptop Ultra, its most powerful Surface yet, built around Nvidia’s RTX Spark “superchip” for Windows 11 on Arm. The RTX Spark chip can provide up to 20 CPU cores, 6,144 GPU cores and 128GB of unified memory (with some configs as low as 16GB), and the laptop promises all-day battery life, RTX‑level graphics around the 5070 tier, and up to 1 petaflop of AI compute. It features a 15-inch mini‑LED display with up to 2,000 nits of peak HDR brightness, the largest haptic trackpad Microsoft has shipped, and ports including USB-C, USB‑A, HDMI and a full-size SD card slot. Weight is listed under 4.5 pounds. Final specs and pricing remain unannounced. Microsoft also positions RTX Spark as part of a broader push with Nvidia and other OEMs to bring Windows on Arm to premium laptops, with several partner devices teased for this fall.
Microsoft is slimming its Surface line to a pared‑back lineup centered on the Surface Laptop and Surface Pro, while exploring Nvidia’s Arm‑based N1/N1X chips that could power AI workloads and potentially a Surface gaming laptop. The devices that remain are Intel‑powered refreshes with pricing starting around $1,950, a price point that could hinder adoption in business settings. The broader Surface future appears tied to Nvidia partnerships, AI initiatives, and ongoing leadership changes, as Microsoft leans into AI to reshape its hardware strategy, with camera and AI features likely to influence the next phase.
The Asus Zenbook A16 is a 16-inch OLED laptop weighing under 3 pounds, powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme with 48GB RAM and 1TB SSD. It delivers strong on‑device AI performance and solid general speed, plus a vivid 3K OLED display, six speakers, and excellent battery life (~14.5 hours streaming). However, gaming performance lags behind Intel-based rivals, there’s no second M.2 slot for expansion, and Windows on ARM can pose app-compatibility issues. It includes a 1080p webcam with Windows Hello IR, a full‑size SD card slot, and a port-rich lineup (USB-C 4, USB-A, HDMI). The tested model is priced around $1,700. Overall, a top AI-oriented laptop for productivity and portability, with caveats for gamers and upgradability.
NVIDIA's upcoming N1 gaming SoC has appeared on a laptop motherboard paired with 128GB of LPDDR5X RAM, with OEM partners Dell and Lenovo confirming a 2026 launch. The N1/N1X will use Arm-based CPU cores (10 Cortex-X925 and 10 Cortex-A725) and a Blackwell GPU up to 6,144 CUDA cores, and will offer typical laptop IO (USB-C/Thunderbolt, HDMI) while targeting Windows on Arm with Windows 11 26H1 support.
Nvidia is reportedly preparing its first mobile SoC, the N1 (and a higher-end N1X) based on ARM, aimed at Windows-on-ARM laptops. A leaked engineering sample and confirmation of collaboration with MediaTek point to a broader laptop push, with Computex 2026 expected for a potential reveal and rumors of HP and Dell PCs. Ongoing RAM shortages continue to influence pricing and availability as these new machines edge closer to launch.