Microsoft plans to announce Qualcomm equipped AI PCs with the aim of surpassing Apple's MacBook Air

Powered by Qualcomm Inc's Snapdragon X Elite processors, these future devices are expected to surpass Apple products in terms of CPU performance, AI acceleration tasks, and app emulation.

Microsoft's trust in Qualcomm comes after years of overwhelming performance from previous chips, and The Verge reports that Microsoft believes the Snapdragon X Elite will greatly enhance the competitiveness of Windows on Arm.

The company plans to demonstrate the superior capabilities of these processors compared to the M3 MacBook Air and highlight faster CPU tasks, AI acceleration, and more efficient app emulation.

Microsoft is betting that the new Windows AI PC will surpass Apple's Rosetta 2 app compatibility layer by providing faster app emulation.

This effort follows Microsoft's introduction of x64 app emulation for Windows 11, and aims to run apps smoothly on ARM devices without a native ARM64 version.

Furthermore, Microsoft plans to release consumer versions of the Surface Pro 10 and Surface Laptop 6 equipped with Snapdragon X Elite processors.

These devices are internally called “next-generation AI Copilot PCs,” and they are distinguished from those running Advanced Micro Devices, Inc., and Intel Corp, and are equipped with Windows functions utilizing unique AI. Using AI Explorer, which is one such feature, users can quickly capture past activity on the device by utilizing a neural processing unit chip for a comprehensive timeline of events.

Microsoft is also aiming to enhance video streaming on Arm-based devices using new AI features such as Windows Studio Effects for improved video calling and creative AI model integration.

Microsoft expects half of all new Windows devices to have AI-enabled chips by the end of 2026.