TORONTO: A new line of personal computers (PCs) made specifically to run artificial intelligence (AI) programs hit stores on Tuesday, as technology companies push for wider adoption of ChatGPT-style AI.
Last month, Microsoft unveiled a new AI-powered personal computer, a so-called “AI PC,” that uses the company's Copilot Plus branded software.
The idea is to give users access to AI capabilities on their devices without relying on the cloud, which takes more energy, time, and makes the AI experience clunky.
The PC comes equipped with a Neural Processing Unit (NPU) chip that enables sharper photo editing, live transcription, translation, and “recall” (the computer's ability to keep track of everything that's going on on the device).
However, Microsoft removed the recall feature at the last minute due to privacy concerns, and announced that it would only be available as a test feature.
For now, devices made by hardware manufacturers such as HP and Asus run exclusively on a new series of processors made by California-based semiconductor giant Qualcomm, called the Snapdragon X Elite and Plus.
“We're redefining what a laptop actually does for the end user,” Qualcomm senior vice president Durga Malladi said at a technology conference in Toronto. “We think this is a rebirth of the PC.”
At the time of the May announcement, Microsoft predicted that more than 50 million AI PCs would be sold in 12 months, given the demand for ChatGPT's features.
Published in Dawn on June 20, 2024
