The big picture: Spurred by the success of ChatGPT, Microsoft has been integrating various AI experiences into Windows 11 despite pushback from some users. While most of its efforts are centered around the Copilot app, the company is also expected to roll out a so-called “AI Explorer” feature as it prepares for “the year of the AI PC.”
While Microsoft is yet to release an official statement on AI Explorer, a leak has now seemingly revealed the minimum system requirements for PCs to run the new feature. The leak comes from noted Windows Insider Albacore, who says strings of code within the latest Windows 11 Build 26100 Beta hints at the minimum system specs for the upcoming feature.
According to the tipster’s X post, the minimum system requirements to run AI Explorer on a Windows PC include a Snapdragon X Elite NPU, 16 GB of RAM, and a minimum 225 GB of total system drive space. The post also mentions that the device will require an Arm64 CPU to run AI Explorer, suggesting that the feature might be exclusive to Arm devices. With Microsoft remaining tight-lipped on the matter, it’s unclear whether this feature will also be available for x86-64 PCs powered by Intel and AMD chips.
Turns out Windows 11 build 26100 (purported 24H2 RTM) contains the AI Explorer requirements �”� baked into the OS
�’� ARM64 CPU
�’� 16GiB of RAM
�’� 225GiB system drive (total, not free space)
�’� Snapdragon X Elite NPU (HWID QCOM0D0A)
I guess that’s one way to drive ARM64 adoption ð¶ð«ï¸Â pic.twitter.com/ZbQf4KY1BN– Albacore âÂÂï¸Â (@thebookisclosed) April 18, 2024
In case you’re wondering about AI Explorer, it’s rumored to be a Windows feature designed for AI PCs. According to sources quoted by Windows Central, it will be an AI-powered search tool that will use natural language processing to find files, apps, past conversations, and pretty much everything else on your PC.
As per the report, Microsoft insiders are describing the feature as an “advanced Copilot” with a built-in history/timeline feature, enabling users to search even previously-opened conversations across any supported app. For example, users could simply type “Which movie did Robbie watch last week,” and Windows will display the exact conversation where Robbie talked about watching a movie.
Copilot may not have caught on with Windows users the way Microsoft would have liked, but the company is still going all-in on AI. In March, Redmond started adding a Copilot icon to the Windows Taskbar, leading to severe protests. Earlier this month, the company started quietly installing a Copilot app on Windows 11 PCs without notifying users, but it has since blamed a bug for the controversy and promised to remove the app in the near future.
