Here Is Why I’m Excited for Microsoft Build 2024

May and June are the busiest months in the technology industry. We got thethinnest iPadjust at the start of May, followed byChatGPT 4oat OpenAI’s Spring Update andGemini 1.5 updatesat the Google I/O 2024 event earlier this week. It’s now time for Microsoft Build 2024, which is scheduled from May 21 to 24. Of course, it’s an annual developer conference, but after many years, consumers like me are excited about Microsoft’s showing.

Microsoft is expected to announceexciting AI features for Windows 11; powerful yet efficientSnapdragon X Elitelaptops, and improvements in many consumer-facing products. From Windows, Copilot, and new ARM-powered laptops to AI Explorer and on-device AI applications, there are tons of reasons for users like you and me to be excited about Microsoft Build 2024.

The broad theme of Microsoft Build 2024 is AI. In fact, Microsoft asks, “How will AI shape your future?” I think, for the first time, Microsoft has the headroom to deliver features and experiences on thin and lightweight laptops without worrying about performance or battery life, thanks to the efficient ARM-based Qualcomm processor. It’s time for Windows on ARM (WoA) to shine bright.

Snapdragon X Elite Laptops are Coming

Just a day before Build 2024,Microsoft is scheduledto unveil new Surface laptops powered by the Snapdragon X Elite processor on May 20. Rumors suggest that Microsoft willannounce Surface Laptop 6 and Surface Pro 10featuring Snapdragon X Elite at the event. And there will be no Intel variants for consumers this time around.

Furthermore, leaks suggest that the upcoming Surface laptops willrival Apple’s M3 MacBooksin performance and battery life. If that turns out to be true, it willredefine Windows laptopsas a potential alternative to MacBooks for consumers and developers. I’m very much looking forward to the event.

By the way, other laptop makers like Asus,Dell,Samsung,Lenovo, HP, and Acer are also gearing up to launch AI PCs with Qualcomm processors around this time.

AI Explorer in Windows 11

On May 20, Microsoft is also expected to unveil the upcomingWindows 11 24H2build which is said to bring many interesting AI features. One of the most anticipated features isAI Explorer, which can analyze all your interactions on your PC and create a memory. You can then search for things using natural language prompts and the AI assistant will show you relevant bits from its indexed memory.

There are also leaks suggesting that AI Explorer on Windows 11 will be able toread your screenand help you out with many tasks. Just recently, OpenAI showcased a demo on macOS with the newChatGPT desktop appwhich could see the screen and provide real-time assistance.Some AI Explorer-related strings:“Screen understanding is off. Turn it on to continue enjoying AIX power.““Screen understanding is on"“AI Host is not running"“Screen understanding is paused. Models are not available and need to be downloaded.” (1/2)— PhantomOcean3 🌳 (@PhantomOfEarth)April 22, 2024

Some AI Explorer-related strings:“Screen understanding is off. Turn it on to continue enjoying AIX power.““Screen understanding is on"“AI Host is not running"“Screen understanding is paused. Models are not available and need to be downloaded.” (1/2)— PhantomOcean3 🌳 (@PhantomOfEarth)April 22, 2024

While OpenAI has not released a dedicated ChatGPT app for Windows, it might be the case that Microsoft is itself working on an integrated AI experience for Windows 11 using on-device vision models. And it might launch on May 21, which is pretty exciting.

Leaks also indicate thatAI models will run locallyon the device leveraging Snapdragon X Elite’s incredibly powerful NPU. The NPU can perform 45 trillion operations per second (TOPS), powerful enough to run language and vision models on your laptop and provide AI assistance. This way, your data won’t be sent to the cloud, and everything will remain private.

Excitement is High for Microsoft Build 2024

At the Build 2024 event, Microsoft has lined up many interesting sessions on Windows, Copilot, AI integration, leveraging Snapdragon X Elite’s capabilities, and more. In fact, one of the sessionstitled“Building Gen-AI experiences using LLM and LVM”gives the impression that it would be possible to run large language models (LLM) and large vision models (LVM) on Windows laptops. Pretty exciting, isn’t it?

Another event titled“Employ AI on Snapdragon X Elite for code generation and image creation”suggests that deep AI integration is coming to tools like GIMP, VSCode, and more. There is also a session on Qualcomm AI Hub and how developers can efficiently deploy optimized models on the Snapdragon X Elite NPU.

Overall, from shiny new ARM hardware to exciting AI features coming to Windows 11, it’s a great time to be a Windows fan. All these interesting events scheduled for MS Build 2024 suggest that brand-new AI applications and experiences are coming to Windows 11.

So are you pumped up for Microsoft Build 2024? Let us know in the comments below.

Arjun Sha

Passionate about Windows, ChromeOS, Android, security and privacy issues. Have a penchant to solve everyday computing problems.

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