Microsoft says this single key is the difference between an AI PC and just a PC with AI

[Windows Central]

Microsoft has an official definition of what makes a device an AI PC. Unsurprisingly, systems need to have a CPU, GPU, and an NPU, but one requirement is a bit shocking.

Microsoft says this single key is the difference between an AI PC and just a PC with AI : Read more

 

[Arun Topez]

Lol... So basically AI PC's are marketing gimmicky buzz words to drive up the price. It's been clear since day 1, and this and the spec requirements further prove it.

 

[naddy69]

This^^^

Which is a really bad idea. When sales have been declining for the last 13 years, raising prices on the hardware - and specs to run the software - is not a path for success.

 

[mjk0963]

Yes especially the keyboard key. Just annoying marketing. What I do wonder is how much difference if any the GPU makes. I’ve assumed across vendors the AI chip was more marketing than actual impact.

 

[fjtorres5591]

Yes especially the keyboard key. Just annoying marketing. What I do wonder is how much difference if any the GPU makes. I’ve assumed across vendors the AI chip was more marketing than actual impact.

No.
GPUs are actually advanced multicore floating point units and there are APIs for running non-graphics code on them. That is why they are key to running "AI" code *locally*. And why the NPUs are required, to offload non-FP code.

So, PCs with AI are not a marketing gimmick.

However...

"AI PC" looks to be a trademark, just like MPC back in the day.

It is mostly but not totally marketing as it specifies a PC with AI that conforms to a minimum set of specifications that compatible software will require. This avoids the configuration hijinks of PC gaming where software needs to have all sorts of settings and switches to accomodate all the variant GPU architectures.

The trademark assures the software will just run. And expect a CoPilot key. That may or not be meaningful depending on the key code in the hardware and/or key bindings in Windows.

It is unclear right now if the trademark requres solely Intel GPU and NPU hardward or if it will also apply to AMD or NVIDIA (or other) AI hardware. Best guess is each brand will float their own trademark. After all, why make it easy for users?