Microsoft has opened preorders for the $2,599 Surface Laptop Ultra, a laptop built around an Nvidia AI chip that runs large AI models on-device instead of in the cloud. The device ships October 16 and arrives alongside a Windows version of Meta's Muse AI agent.
Microsoft said its new laptop containing an Nvidia AI chip will start at $2,599, as the company pushes more AI capability into its consumer devices. The Surface Laptop Ultra is now available on preorder and will begin shipping on October 16, Pavan Davuluri, Microsoft's executive vice president of Windows and devices, said at a company event in San Francisco on Wednesday.
Nvidia chip handles AI workloads on-device
The laptop can run a variety of AI models locally, so users avoid racking up high monthly cloud bills. It can hold up to 128 gigabytes of unified memory and supply up to one petaflop of computing power. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said at Wednesday's event that the Blackwell RTX Spark GPU inside the computer matches the processing power of Nvidia's DGX-1 data center server from 2016, which cost $250 million.
The machine also carries the world's first magnetic USB-C port, similar to Apple's MagSafe charging connector, along with two other standard USB-C ports, Microsoft said. A presenter at the event showed how apps on the laptop can route some AI coding requests to the local GPU, marked with a green leaf icon, while sending others to the cloud.
Microsoft widens its AI device push
Davuluri said Meta will bring a version of its Muse AI agent to Windows, building on the agent's popularity after it jumped to the top of Apple's App Store, surpassing ChatGPT. Microsoft is also updating its Windows 11 setup experience to help people get started with the open-source OpenClaw AI agent software.
According to Max Weinbach, an analyst at Creative Strategies, who wrote on X after the announcement: "Microsoft might get me back to Windows"
This is not Microsoft's first attempt to use AI to boost device sales. In 2024, the company introduced the Copilot+ PC standard, requiring neural processing units in compliant Surface computers, but it has since simplified product naming to lead with the Surface brand, a spokesperson said.
Source: US Top News and Analysis
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