Microsoft’s Windows AI features, initially exclusive to Copilot Plus PCs, are set to expand to desktop form factors as Intel prepares to refresh its Arrow Lake desktop CPUs with a more advanced NPU.
The upcoming “Arrow Lake Refresh” is expected to feature an “NPU4” design, mirroring the architecture in Intel’s Lunar Lake laptop CPUs, which enabled Copilot Plus AI features in November. This move is significant as it would bring true desktop PCs with capable NPUs, expanding beyond mini PCs and all-in-one systems that use laptop processors. Intel’s decision to enhance the NPU capability in its desktop CPUs is in response to Microsoft’s 40 TOPS requirement for Copilot Plus features, a threshold that the initial Core Ultra desktop CPUs, launched in October, failed to meet due to lacking the necessary NPU capability.
While the refresh is expected to bring about improvements in NPU, it is not anticipated to add CPU or GPU cores. This might be disappointing for gamers who were awaiting performance boosts. Intel’s previous Arrow Lake launch had acknowledged performance shortfalls, particularly in gaming, and the company is expected to face significant competition from AMD until the launch of Intel’s Nova Lake CPUs in 2026.
