“Next Version of Windows” With AI Coming in Mid-2024: Qualcomm CEO

The “next version of Microsoft Windows”, which is already being referred to in leaks and rumours as Windows 12, will be released in mid-2024 and will introduce major new AI-based capabilities, according to Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon. Speaking on an earnings call with investors and analysts, Amon stated that the launch of laptops based on the much-anticipated Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite platform depends on the release of this OS by Microsoft. Qualcomm currently expects the rollout to happen in mid-2024, in time for the back-to-school shopping season.

However, it is not yet certain whether Microsoft has decided to use Windows 12 as a name, or whether this next launch will simply be the next Windows 11 update. Microsoft currently releases two major Windows updates per year, which would make this release Windows 11 24H2. Previous reports have suggested that 2025 is a more likely time frame for a Windows 12 launch. 

The introduction of major new AI-based capabilities, support for ARM-based processors, and the industry-wide “AI PC” marketing push could all be reasons for Microsoft to decide to call this update Windows 12. A significant new version of Windows could also drive upgrades and replacements for older PCs, and could help differentiate PCs that support on-device AI processing. 

A mid-2024 target could line up with the Computex trade fair in Taipei, where major PC hardware ecosystem demos and announcements have taken place over the years. Windows 11 is only a few years old but over 65 percent of users are still on Windows 10 and have not felt compelled to upgrade, as per recent Statcounter analysis.  

The Snapdragon X Elite is based on a new custom ARM core called Oryon, designed by the team that Qualcomm absorbed when it acquired high-profile chip startup Nuvia in 2021. Early benchmarks shown off by Qualcomm at its own event last year showed the chip putting up competitive performance against an Intel 13th Gen Core i7 and even Apple’s M2.   

Qualcomm is optimistic about its renewed push to popularise Windows laptops based on its own processors, touting native 5G, Wi-Fi 7, all-day battery life, broad compatibility with software including hardware drivers, and of course AI-enabled features. Much like on current-gen flagship smartphones, manufacturers will be able to leverage on-device AI acceleration to power machine learning tasks, natural language processing, image recognition, live captioning, and camera effects, among other things.

Dell, Acer, HP, Lenovo, Microsoft, Samsung, Asus, Xiaomi, and Honor will be among the first brands to launch new laptops powered by the Snapdragon X Elite processor in 2024. In addition to Qualcomm, MediaTek is likely to enter the laptop market with its own Arm-based offerings, and Samsung has been rumoured to be working on its own Exynos platform. 

Qualcomm’s laptop efforts have faltered since the first models were launched in 2018. Marketed as “always connected PCs”, these promised a smartphone-like experience with always-on cellular Internet connectivity, instant wake from sleep, and far better battery life than mainstream X86-based laptops at the time. However, they were often expensive, not very powerful, and unable to run some Windows-based software.