Microsoft has expanded support for local AI workloads on Windows 11 beyond Copilot+ PCs. Systems with Nvidia RTX 30-series GPUs or newer and a minimum of 6GB of VRAM can now access the operating system’s local language model APIs. Although the update is primarily intended for developers, it may indicate a broader shift in how Microsoft approaches on-device AI requirements.
When Microsoft introduced Copilot+ PCs in June 2024, it strongly emphasized the need for dedicated AI hardware. These systems came with NPUs, at least 16GB of RAM, and SSD storage as standard. More than anything else, Microsoft pointed to the NPU as the piece of hardware that made local AI features possible.
However, AI workloads are not limited to NPUs. GPUs, particularly newer models, are designed for parallel processing and are widely used for machine learning applications. For many AI tasks, they can provide higher performance than current NPUs, although they generally require more power.
Microsoft had previously restricted most of its built-in AI features to systems with NPUs. This prevented many high-performance GPU-powered PCs from accessing local text and image generation capabilities, along with features such as Windows Recall and other AI tools.
That’s starting to change. Microsoft said in updated documentation and a GitHub post that developers can now run language model APIs on supported GPUs, even on PCs that aren’t part of the Copilot+ lineup.
According to Microsoft, the experimental update enables Language Model APIs to run on non-Copilot+ PCs with compatible GPUs, extending local language model support to more Windows 11 systems. The company notes that supported hardware includes Nvidia GeForce RTX 30-series GPUs and newer models with at least 6GB of VRAM.
The capability is currently limited to the developer side of the Windows ecosystem and is not yet directly accessible to most users. Using the APIs requires software that integrates with the Windows AI framework. However, the update could pave the way for local AI support across a much larger range of Windows devices.
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