Microsoft’s new 12-inch Surface Pro and 13-inch Surface Laptop will go without the Copilot+ PC badge despite meeting its hardware requirements, PCWorld reported on 25 September. The decision puts the label’s future in question just over two years after Microsoft introduced it for Windows computers with dedicated AI hardware.
Key points
- Microsoft’s two new Surface models meet the Copilot+ PC hardware requirements but will not carry the label.
- The specification calls for an NPU capable of at least 40 TOPS, alongside minimum memory and storage requirements.
- Microsoft’s Surface chief says the company continues to pursue AI processing on devices and through a hybrid approach.
- A Qualcomm executive reportedly considers future use of the badge unlikely.
Surface models meet the former Copilot+ bar
“These are not called Copilot Plus PCs,” Brett Ostrom, Microsoft’s Surface corporate vice-president, told Windows Central, according to Moneycontrol. He said the devices “do meet all the requirements of our previous bar for what Copilot+ devices are”. The distinction is between the badge on the product and the hardware standard the machines satisfy.
Moneycontrol reported on 27 September that the Copilot+ wording was absent from Microsoft’s 2026 Surface products. It also reported that the wording was missing from the latest devices sold by other PC makers. Ostrom’s comments specifically concern the new Surface Pro and Surface Laptop.
Microsoft launched Copilot+ PC in early 2024 to identify computers built around AI features, Moneycontrol reported. The name gave buyers a way to distinguish machines meeting Microsoft’s requirements from other Windows PCs. Its omission from these Surface models therefore changes how Microsoft identifies qualifying hardware, even as the two devices continue to meet the earlier bar.
The Copilot+ specification requires 40 TOPS
The Copilot+ PC specification required a neural processing unit, or NPU, capable of at least 40 TOPS of AI performance. It also required at least 16GB of RAM, at least 256GB of SSD storage and Windows 11 24H2 or later, according to PCWorld. Those were requirements for the badge, rather than a description of every Windows computer with an AI feature.
Microsoft originally reserved the designation for machines able to run local AI features, PCWorld reported. It introduced AI features exclusive to qualifying PCs. The badge linked those software features to a minimum level of hardware capability. Leaving the badge off a machine that meets the requirements separates that hardware test from the name Microsoft uses to sell it.
Ostrom said Microsoft still favoured AI processing at the device and a hybrid approach. “We still lean into the narrative around AI on the edge and being able to have a hybrid solution out there,” he told Windows Central. His remarks distinguish the decision on the badge from Microsoft’s continuing interest in where AI tasks are processed.
Qualcomm executive doubts the badge’s future
The label also matters to chip suppliers whose processors are used in PCs built to Microsoft’s requirements. Qualcomm senior vice-president of compute and gaming Kedar Kondap reportedly told Windows Central that the Copilot+ PC badge was unlikely to be used again, according to PCWorld. His assessment goes beyond the two Surface products: it concerns whether the name will continue to appear on qualifying machines.
Microsoft’s decision concerns products that already clear the Copilot+ hardware bar, while Kondap’s comment concerns the badge’s prospects. For the new 12-inch Surface Pro and 13-inch Surface Laptop, Ostrom said the requirements remain met. The products will be sold without the Copilot+ PC name.
