Microsoft made a big deal about Neural Processing Units (NPUs) when it first announced Copilot+ PC in 2024. This specialized hardware is key to running AI tasks more efficiently and locally, and is now prevalent in everything from Qualcomm Snapdragon X chips to the latest Intel and AMD processors.
The rise of NPU is primarily associated with Windows 11’s Copilot+ AI tools such as Cocreator, Live Captions, Windows Studio Effects, and Recall, but it’s also coming to power a growing number of third-party apps.
1. Cephable — AI-assisted alternative input on your PC
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Cephable is an AI software platform designed to replace traditional PC input methods. Cephable provides adaptive control via head, eye, or other movements (captured by a camera) and voice, rather than a mouse or keyboard.
It can be configured to control apps and automate tasks and works on Windows, MacOS/iOS, and Android.
Cephable’s on-device privacy position powers your PC’s NPU. NPU provides a more efficient way to enhance effects, eliminating sensitive video and audio data from being stored in the cloud.
Cephable was originally designed to improve accessibility for people with disabilities, but has since been adopted by a wider range of users looking to reduce screen time and increase productivity.
If you want to try Cephable, a free plan is availableestimates are available for enterprise and education scenarios.
2. Adobe Photoshop — AI-assisted photo editing
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Most modern photo editors, including Adobe alternatives like Luminar NEO, GIMP, and Affinity Photo, have some kind of AI editing functionality, but the app that usually gets the most attention is Photoshop.
With an NPU on your PC, Photoshop tools like subject selection, background removal, noise removal, upscaling, and masking run faster and more efficiently.
This not only frees up the CPU and GPU for other tasks, but also reduces battery consumption and heat generation. Both of these are especially important if you edit photos on your laptop.
can give Try Photoshop for freeBut otherwise it costs about $23 per month.
3. Norton — AI-assisted deepfakes and fraud protection
We know that many of our readers feel that Windows Defender alone is enough to protect their PCs, but Norton Antivirus has recently added some great features that rely on NPU to work.
I’m primarily talking about AI-powered fraud prevention that can identify audio and video deepfakes, website phishing settings, and even SMS fraud. Free Norton Genie mobile app.
Norton’s AI-powered fraud detection tools run on your PC’s NPU, increasing speed and efficiency while keeping your data local with no calls to the cloud.
Norton 360 plans for Windows Starting at $3.33/month If purchased for 1 year.
4. Algoriddim djay Pro — AI-powered voice and instrument separation
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Algoriddim’s djay Pro has been around as a popular music mixing tool for a long time, but it really started leaning toward NPUs in PCs a few years ago when Qualcomm introduced its Snapdragon X chip.
One notable feature running on the NPU is Neural Mix. It’s a tool designed to use AI to separate instruments, vocals, and backing beat tracks, making remixing and playback super easy.
Algoriddim says the change to NPUs rather than CPUs provides “best-in-class isolation quality with unprecedentedly low latency,” while making the overall experience “more intuitive and responsive.”
you can Test Algoriddim djay Pro for freeHowever, a monthly subscription costs $6.99. If you purchase for one year, the fee drops to $49.99.
5. BufferZone NoCloud AI — Real-time phishing detection
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BufferZone’s NoCloud AI is not a complete standalone software, but we’re not including it here for technical reasons.
NoCloud AI is a browser extension available for Edge and Chrome designed to detect phishing attacks in real time. The rise of AI is also benefiting bad actors, and relying on reputation lists and cloud-based analytics to detect phishing attempts is no longer enough.
While these browsers have their own phishing detection capabilities, NoCloud AI is said to improve detection rates by 25% on Edge and 21.62% on Chrome.
Because NoCloud AI uses your PC’s NPU (along with the GPU), BufferZone says inference runs 40% faster compared to the CPU alone. Additionally, phishing is identified with 70% lower latency because there is no need to call to the cloud.
unfortunately, BufferZone is available to enterprise customers only.
6. HP IQ — AI-Powered Business Associate
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HP IQ is very similar to Lenovo Qira in that it is a personal intelligence layer, except in HP’s case everything AI-related is processed directly on the device’s NPU.
HP calls IQ a “workplace intelligence layer” that facilitates workflow coordination and collaboration across devices. You can answer questions with voice or text requests, analyze and summarize documents, track notes and actions, and record and capture ideas from live meetings.
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And the NearSense feature makes it incredibly easy to share files between PCs just by getting close.
HP IQ will first arrive on the company’s new EliteBook X G2 laptops in spring 2026, and then roll out to more HP laptops. Android support is planned for later this year.
7. CapCut — AI-assisted video effects and editing
CapCut is a popular AI-powered video editor and creator often associated with social media.
Its automatic cutout feature is the best example of a tool that improves with NPU, as it allows background removal and replacement without sending data to the cloud.
NPUs are also utilized for facial tracking and some AI effects, reducing the strain on the CPU and GPU. As is almost always the case when NPUs are involved, this increases efficiency and reduces power consumption.
you can Download CapCut for PC via Microsoft Store. It has limited functionality but is available for free. Otherwise, it costs $19.99 per month or $179.99 per year.
Are you using these apps on a Windows AI PC with an NPU?
There are many apps that take advantage of your AI PC’s NPU, but this is just a starter kit to show you some of its uses outside of Copilot+.
Are you already taking advantage of the AI features of these apps on your NPU-equipped AI PC? Which one do you enjoy the most? Which one would you like to see from this list that I left out? Let us know in the comments below.
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