{"id":191,"date":"2026-06-03T08:18:29","date_gmt":"2026-06-03T08:18:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/longhaulmovingpros.com\/?p=191"},"modified":"2026-06-03T08:18:29","modified_gmt":"2026-06-03T08:18:29","slug":"two-years-after-copilot-nvidia-is-shoving-ai-into-pcs-again","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/longhaulmovingpros.com\/?p=191","title":{"rendered":"Two Years After Copilot+, Nvidia Is Shoving AI Into PCs Again"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Two years ago, Qualcomm and Microsoft stood onstage and announced that the next generation of PCs, called Copilot+, would change everything about personal computing. It didn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

Read more Nvidia\u2019s RTX Spark Laptops Are the Kick in the Ass Gaming PCs Needed<\/a><\/p>\n

Fast-forward to 2026. Nvidia and Microsoft have now announced a similar line of ARM-based RTX Spark PCs in another attempt to push the agentic lifestyle. You\u2019ll once again be forced to reckon with it, with or without these expensive laptops in tow.<\/p>\n

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Consider the following: for years, Qualcomm has pushed and pushed for software compatibility across most major apps. It worked with Microsoft to enhance the emulation of the standard Intel and AMD-owned x86 architecture. Now, Nvidia is taking all the credit.<\/p>\n

Of course, Qualcomm is trying to spin the narrative. In a Q&A with reporters, Qualcomm\u2019s SVP of compute and gaming, Kedar Kondap, bore the brunt of numerous questions about RTX Spark. He said the new PCs were \u201ca good endorsement of the fact that there is an ecosystem that\u2019s growing outside of x86\u2026 We led the way in driving that ecosystem, and I think this is positive tailwinds.\u201d Kondap pushed back when I asked about Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang\u2019s proclamations that RTX Spark was the agent-ready ARM PC, saying, \u201cThe last I tracked with my team, we were aware of 50 claws that were available\u2026 and a lot of these claws run very effectively on Snapdragon.\u201d<\/p>\n

But the fact remains that Snapdragon doesn\u2019t have an ultra-premium offering or the GPU capabilities that get people excited. RTX Spark systems may actually be good for gaming\u2014something Qualcomm\u2019s never achieved.<\/p>\n

Enter Microsoft\u2019s new Surface Ultra. This expensive laptop is the culmination of a long journey for Microsoft. You may remember Windows\u2019 first disastrous attempt to bring ARM to PCs in 2012. Work has been ongoing since then. Snapdragon X\u2019s 2024 debut was preceded by nearly four years of grinding to force Windows and mainstream app compatibility. Brett Ostrum, Microsoft\u2019s VP for Surface devices, told Gizmodo in an interview that Microsoft had been working alongside Nvidia for nearly two years on the project, previously dubbed N1X, that is now RTX Spark.<\/p>\n

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Windows on ARM arrived at the same time as the Copilot+ moniker for PCs. An on-chip neural processing unit (NPU) was supposed to push AI features exclusive to these new systems. That didn\u2019t actually amount to useful tools for folks who needed a new device. In fact, pushing AI on Windows forced manufacturers to add more RAM to laptops, which backfired once the race for AI datacenters sent RAM prices through the roof.<\/p>\n

But those weren\u2019t even the worst problems with Copilot+, per Microsoft. Ostrum told Gizmodo in an interview that \u201cthe biggest gap we saw with Copilot+ PCs was people wanted performant, thin, light, and good-battery-life devices.\u201d Consumers had to accept poor longevity in exchange for a gaming PC capable of handling heavy-duty tasks, including running on-device AI agents like OpenClaw, according to the Microsoft exec.<\/p>\n

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Of all the RTX Spark PCs I\u2019ve briefly fondled, the Microsoft Surface Ultra stood out the most. Sure, an Asus ProArt P16 promises a tandem OLED display, but the Surface sports a novel 15-inch mini LED screen that emphasizes brightness. Everything about its shell is enticing, from the combination of an air vent and a side-firing speaker to the emphasis on repairability, with screws accessible under the foot caps. It also packs a mysterious USB-C-sized port I suspect may be a new kind of magnetic Surface Connect port.<\/p>\n

Read more DOGE Whistleblower Had His Brakes Cut Hours After Elon Put Him On Blast, Suit Alleges<\/a><\/p>\n

Ostrum said the new Surface Laptop Ultra PCs were still branded with Copilot+, but were aimed at \u201cdifferent customer segmentation, different performance benchmarks, and different use patterns.\u201d Boiled down, it\u2019s about power and efficiency. There\u2019s a segment of users who need a MacBook Pro with M5 Max because it will eat benchmarks alive and still have enough juice to last the day. A growing base of consumers also buys up Mac mini stock just to run agents on OpenClaw.<\/p>\n

That AI-enthusiast coterie, who\u2019s willing to pay up for the privilege, is exactly the kind of demographic Nvidia is targeting with RTX Spark. After all, Morgan Stanley reportedly suggested that RTX Spark PCs could start at $2,900. Based on what I know about laptops with similarly capable AMD graphics cards, I suspect they\u2019ll be more than that.<\/p>\n

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At Microsoft Build on Tuesday, the tech giant showed off Project Solara, an Android-based operating system built for agents that runs on devices separate from PCs. Microsoft also now has its own OpenClaw-based AI, called Scout, and a big ol\u2019 badge with a camera that is supposed to connect to your agents through the cloud.<\/p>\n

I went through multiple demos of agentic workflows on upcoming RTX Spark laptops and, yes, they seem promising for the kinds of software tinkerers who want to speedrun their work. But the fun part of PCs, to me, is also the \u201cpersonal\u201d aspect. You get to decide how and where you use your device and where you throw your computing power around. You may not have a choice about the future agentification of Windows.<\/p>\n

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