Microsoft and Nvidia Launch Surface Laptop Ultra with RTX Spark Chip
New Windows PCs built for local AI agents start at $2,599 and ship October 16.
KEY POINTS
- Surface Laptop Ultra with Nvidia RTX Spark chip starts at $2,599; ships October 16
- Windows Hybrid Intelligence enables local and cloud AI agent execution with MXC security sandboxes
- RTX Spark is an Arm-based SoC co-designed with MediaTek, offering up to 20-core CPU and 128 GB unified memory
- Microsoft claims 2.1x faster token generation and 6.2x faster video generation vs. MacBook Pro M5 Pro
- Asus, Dell, HP, Lenovo, MSI and others will release RTX Spark devices; dev box starts at $5,999
Microsoft and Nvidia unveiled the Surface Laptop Ultra and a broader RTX Spark ecosystem at a San Francisco event on October 7. The laptop starts at $2,599, while a developer box begins at $5,999; both are available for pre-order with shipments starting October 16. Partners including Asus, Dell, HP, Lenovo, and MSI will also release RTX Spark devices.
The companies introduced "Windows Hybrid Intelligence," a framework allowing Copilot to run AI models locally on the device or in the cloud depending on the task. New security architecture called Microsoft Execution Containers (MXC) isolates agents in sandboxes, controlling file and network access while logging actions separately from user activity.
“We've reinvented the personal computer completely.”
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang stated they have "reinvented the personal computer completely," while Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella emphasized making the desktop the most secure place for agents to execute. The Arm-based RTX Spark chip, co-designed with MediaTek, features up to a 20-core Grace CPU and 128 GB of unified memory.
Microsoft demonstrated the Surface Laptop Ultra running GitHub Copilot and playing Gears of War: E-Day at 60 frames per second. The company claims performance up to 2.1 times faster time-to-first-token, 4.3 times faster image generation, and 6.2 times faster video generation compared to Apple's M5 Pro MacBook Pro.
Windows 11 will gain new quick actions in the Task Bar Search menu starting in Spring, enabling users to change settings, take screenshots, and send messages via conversational commands. A new "Get Started" experience will simplify installing third-party agents such as Perplexity's Portable Computer and Meta's Muse.
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