Microsoft’s new wave of on-device AI features—branded as Copilot+—are locked behind a specific hardware threshold that leaves the vast majority of existing Windows 11 PCs in the cold. The company tied its most ambitious AI tools to a new class of “Copilot+ PCs,” which must include a neural processing unit (NPU) capable of at least 40 trillion operations per second (TOPS). That requirement, paired with mandatory system specs and the Windows 11 2024 Update (version 24H2), means that even last year’s high-end laptops can’t run features like Recall, Cocreator, or Auto Super Resolution without a hardware upgrade.

What Are Copilot+ PCs?

Copilot+ PCs are a new category of Windows computers designed to run advanced AI workloads locally. Announced in May 2024 alongside the Surface Pro 11 and Surface Laptop 7, these devices are built around system-on-chips (SoCs) that integrate a powerful NPU, CPU, and GPU. Microsoft defines the baseline as an NPU with 40 TOPS or more, 16 GB of RAM, and at least 256 GB of storage. Only PCs meeting these specs and running Windows 11 version 24H2 (or later) qualify for the full Copilot+ experience.

The first wave of Copilot+ PCs included Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite and Snapdragon X Plus platforms. By late 2024, AMD joined the ecosystem with its Ryzen AI 300 series, and Intel released its Core Ultra 200V (Lunar Lake) processors, both featuring NPUs that exceed the 40 TOPS mark. Microsoft has confirmed that Copilot+ PCs can also be built around future AMD and Intel silicon, but the 40-TOPS barrier remains the gatekeeper.

The NPU Requirement: Why 40 TOPS?

Microsoft’s decision to set the floor at 40 TOPS is rooted in the compute demands of next-generation AI experiences. Features like Recall—a semantic search that takes snapshots of your screen every few seconds and uses on-device AI models to let you find anything you’ve seen—require continuous, low-power inference. The NPU must be powerful enough to process multiple AI models simultaneously without slowing down the system or draining the battery.

“Forty TOPS is the minimum to run these models with acceptable latency and accuracy,” explained a Microsoft engineer during the May 2024 announcement. “Anything less, and the experience degrades to the point where it’s not useful.”

This performance threshold effectively excludes all Intel Core 13th/14th gen, AMD Ryzen 7000/8000 series, and Apple M1/M2/M3 processors. Even Intel’s Meteor Lake (Core Ultra 100 series), which introduced a dedicated NPU, caps out at 11 TOPS—far below the requirement. Apple’s M4 chip, released in mid-2024, reaches 38 TOPS, still just shy of Microsoft’s cutoff. No existing desktop dGPU, not even NVIDIA’s RTX 4090, is leveraged for these Copilot+ features; Microsoft has focused exclusively on integrated NPUs for power efficiency and always-on capabilities.

The Exclusive Features You’re Missing

So what exactly do you lose by not having a Copilot+ PC? Here’s a breakdown of the key AI features that require the 40-TOPS NPU:

  • Recall: A timeline-like feature that records screen activity and uses AI to let you search for anything you’ve seen on your PC. It indexes text, images, and even visual elements retroactively.
  • Cocreator: In Microsoft Paint, Cocreator uses a diffusion model to generate images from text prompts and sketches—entirely on-device.
  • Auto Super Resolution (Auto SR): An AI-powered upscaling technology that boosts game frame rates by running in real time as you play. It works with a broad set of games and doesn’t require developer integration.
  • Live Captions with real-time translation: On-device speech recognition can now translate 40+ languages into English subtitles instantly, even when offline.
  • Enhanced Windows Studio Effects: While some Studio Effects work on older NPUs, the new portrait light, eye contact teleprompter, and automatic framing improvements tap into the extra TOPS.

Additionally, Microsoft’s Copilot app interface has been redesigned for Copilot+ PCs, with deeper system integration and the ability to understand screen context. However, the underlying AI assistant (formerly Bing Chat) still runs on cloud servers and remains available on all Windows 11 devices.

Windows 11 24H2: The Software Gate

Hardware is only half the story. All Copilot+ features ship as part of Windows 11 version 24H2 (build 26100), which began rolling out in October 2024. This update, also known as the 2024 Update, is a required platform for the new AI stack. It includes a new set of AI models (Phi Silica, a 3.8-billion-parameter language model) and the underlying Windows Copilot Runtime. Even if you somehow managed to install 24H2 on a non-NPU system, the features check for the NPU at launch and won’t activate.

Microsoft further locked Recall behind Windows Hello Enhanced Sign-in Security and BitLocker encryption, adding another layer of hardware dependency. Recall was briefly delayed due to security concerns and relaunched in early 2025 after a major architecture change that processes data only within the secure enclave of the NPU.

Timeline of Availability

  • May 2024: Microsoft announced Copilot+ PCs at its Build conference; first Snapdragon X devices start shipping in June.
  • June–August 2024: Qualcomm-based Copilot+ PCs become available globally; initial AI features like Cocreator and Live Captions roll out.
  • October 2024: Windows 11 24H2 general availability. AMD and Intel announce their compatible processors (Ryzen AI 300 and Core Ultra 200V).
  • Late 2024: First AMD and Intel Copilot+ laptops hit shelves, expanding the ecosystem beyond Qualcomm.
  • January 2025: Recall re-released to Windows Insiders after security overhaul; Auto SR exits experimental phase.

Why Your Current PC Can’t Be Upgraded

Many users expected that Microsoft would gradually backport these features to older hardware, or that “AI” was just a software update. The reality is that the workloads are fundamentally compute-bound. Running Recall on a CPU would spike usage and kill battery life; offloading to a cloud server would raise privacy and latency concerns. The NPU is designed for sustained, efficient AI inference—something no current laptop CPU or GPU can match without significant tradeoffs.

Could Microsoft lower the TOPS threshold? In theory, yes. A trimmed-down version of Recall with less frequent snapshots or lower accuracy might run on 10 TOPS, but the user experience would be noticeably slower. Microsoft has so far refused to compromise, arguing that a subpar experience would damage the brand more than restricting availability.

The Competitive Landscape: Apple, Google, and the AI PC Race

Apple’s M4 chip (38 TOPS) narrowly misses the Copilot+ mark, but macOS Sequoia’s Apple Intelligence features run smoothly on M1 and later chips with older Neural Engines. Apple’s approach is more software-flexible, adjusting model complexity to the hardware. Google’s Chromebook Plus line has its own AI requirements (mostly cloud-based), while Windows on Arm struggles with compatibility outside the Copilot+ bubble.

This hardware segmentation is a deliberate strategy by Microsoft to push the industry toward NPU-equipped designs. By creating a “must-have” feature set, they’re giving chipmakers and OEMs a clear target. The gamble: users who want the latest AI tools will buy new hardware, accelerating the shift to Arm-based and AI-accelerated laptops.

Is It Worth Upgrading?

For early adopters and productivity mavens, Recall alone could be a game-changer. Imagine never losing a document, webpage, or conversation snippet because your PC automatically indexes everything you see. Cocreator brings generative AI into a familiar environment, and Auto SR gives a free performance boost to gamers. However, these features are still in their infancy; Recall’s rocky launch and privacy concerns highlight the risks of always-on recording.

If you’re considering a Copilot+ PC, look for:
- Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite or X Plus (available now, excellent battery life, but some app compatibility issues with non-native Arm apps).
- AMD’s Ryzen AI 300 series (coming late 2024, x86 compatibility, strong integrated graphics).
- Intel’s Core Ultra 200V (Lunar Lake) (arriving late 2024, balance of performance and efficiency, full x86 support).

All these chips meet the 40-TOPS threshold, run Windows 11 24H2, and offer the full Copilot+ suite. Expect battery life to exceed traditional Intel 13th/14th gen systems by a wide margin.

The Bottom Line

Microsoft has drawn a bright line in the sand: Copilot+ features need AI hardware you can’t add after the fact. The 40-TOPS NPU isn’t a marketing gimmick; it’s a hard requirement that ensures always-available, efficient AI without cloud dependency. For millions of Windows 11 users, that means no amount of software updating will unlock the latest tools. The good news? The ecosystem is expanding rapidly, and by mid-2025, every new mid-range and premium Windows laptop will ship with a compliant NPU, making the transition inevitable.

The question isn’t whether you’ll eventually have a Copilot+ PC—it’s when you’ll decide to cross the line.