Microsoft is working to enhance Windows 11 with artificial intelligence to create an advanced operating system. The Redmond company has recently announced a range of new features, including Recall, a feature resembling “photographic memory” designed to assist users in finding or remembering anything they’ve previously done.
Recall is considered to be one of the most significant innovations in Windows in recent years. However, it’ll only be available to users with Copilot+ computers. This means that the hardware must include a Neural Processing Unit (NPU) with a minimum of 45 TOPS (Tera Operations Per Second).
Recall Can Probably Work on Your Computer, Too
This situation is quite unusual. Even if you recently invested in a high-end PC, possibly with the new Intel Core Ultra (Meteor Lake) or AMD Ryzen 8000 an with NPU, you may not be able to access the latest Windows AI features. According to Microsoft, the solution is to purchase a new computer.
Currently, only computers with Qualcomm Snapdragon X Series processors are compatible with Copilot+. However, someone has managed to run Recall on non-NPU hardware, meaning they were able to use the latest AI features without meeting Microsoft’s minimum requirements.
The discovery was made by Albacore, a well-known software enthusiast who often uncovers interesting things, such as the potential redesign of the Windows 11 start menu in its next update. Albacore has activated Recall on “current ARM64 hardware," which doesn’t include a Snapdragon X Series.
In a post, Albacore explained that they were unable to test Recall on x86 Architecture computers with Intel or AMD processors because Microsoft only released ARM64-compatible packages. However, Albacore noted that Recall should also work on these computers, although they were unable to test it at the time.
Why has Microsoft decided to limit Recall’s compatibility? If it’s due to performance issues, it could at least be made available as an option. We don’t have a definite answer, but it might be that the company is trying to promote Copilot+ to compete with Apple Silicon chips.
Currently, there’s a wide range of computers from brands including Acer, Asus, Dell, HP, Lenovo, and Samsung that include the Copilot+ label. When the computer is turned on for the first time, Windows 11 prompts users to activate Recall. If they choose to do so, they'll find it in the taskbar.
Image | Microsoft
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