Microsoft Sets 16 GB RAM as Minimum-Requirement for Copilot and Windows AI Features

[btarunr]

Microsoft has reportedly set 16 GB as the minimum system requirement for AI PCs, a TrendForce market research report finds. To say that Microsoft has a pivotal role to play in PC hardware specs is an understatement. This year sees the introduction of the first "AI PCs," or PCs with on-device AI acceleration for several new features native to Windows 11 23H2, mainly Microsoft Copilot. From the looks of it, Copilot is receiving the highest corporate attention from Microsoft, as the company looks to integrate the AI chatbot that automates and generates work, into the mainstream PC. In fact, Microsoft is even pushing for a dedicated Copilot button on PC keyboards along the lines of the key that brings up the Start menu. The company's biggest move with Copilot will be the 2024 introduction of Copilot Pro, an AI assistant integrated with Office and 365, which the company plans to sell on a subscription basis alone.

Besides cloud-based acceleration, Microsoft's various AI features will rely on some basic hardware specs for local acceleration. One of them of course is the NPU, with Intel's AI Boost and AMD's Ryzen AI being introduced with their latest mobile processors. The other requirement will be memory. AI acceleration is a highly memory sensitive operation, and LLMs require a sizable amount of fast frequent-access memory. So Microsoft arrived at 16 GB as the bare minimum amount of memory for not just native acceleration, but also cloud-based Copilot AI features to work. This should see the notebooks of 2024 set 16 GB as their baseline memory specs; and for commercial notebooks to scale up to 32 GB or even 64 GB, depending on organizational requirements. The development bodes particularly well for the DRAM industry.



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[R0H1T]

16GB is still too low for PC these days but I guess as long as you don't do 1,000 chrome tabs all at once you should be fine

 

[Denver]

Microsoft giving a boost to Samsung and other memory makers that have been losing money.

It won't be good for prices though. All we need is more Bloatware and expensive stuff. Long live AI.

 

[Dristun]

You will upgrade, subscribe and eat ze bugs!

 

[Prima.Vera]

Please tell me there is a way to totally disable this garbage, just like Cortana.

 

[marcomarti]

300 million people will loose job only in US due to AI. Who cares about RAM?

 

[PLAfiller]

You will upgrade, subscribe and eat ze bugs!

Ahahaha, nailed it!

EDIT: also you will buy a keyboard with a "co pilot" key on it

 

[R0H1T]

300 million people will loose job only in US due to AI. Who cares about RAM?

You sure? I doubt you even employ that many

 

[Denver]

300 million people will loose job only in US due to AI. Who cares about RAM?

It has the potential for that. but nah, the entire population will lose their jobs and how will money circulate? I don't see androids buying 20 pairs of shoes or stuffing themselves with fast food every day.

The world economy needs human stupidity to continue growing.

@subject-AI-OS-stuff

It would be good if Microsoft didn't create some kind of incompatibility to force the upgrade as soon as this new OS is released. Damn... They take advantage of the fact that we have no real alternative.

 

[Dirt Chip]

Any actual reason to why AI need that amount of ram?

There are many, very basic but fully functional, new laptops and other mini PC's that do fine with 8 and even 4GB (I know, I have one).

 

[Ed_1]

Please tell me there is a way to totally disable this garbage, just like Cortana.

GPE can disable Copilot so as long as they don't remove that you just need a Pro+ version or even reg hack can work on lower Win versions.

I have it disabled here with no signs of it in the desktop (I don't use Edge so not sure there).

 

[theouto]

Any actual reason to why AI need that amount of ram?

There are many, very basic but fully functional, new laptops and other mini PC's that do fine with 8 and even 4GB (I know, I have one).

Usually bigger models require more memory to operate, so I assume it will run some things locally instead of always relying on an internet connection.

 

[Easy Rhino]

16 GB needed to store all of the stolen data they used to train the AI.

 

[Yukikaze]

To reframe the old joke about IoT:
The "S" in AI stands for "Security", while the "P" in AI stands for "Privacy".

 

[R0H1T]

16 GB needed to store all of the stolen data they used to train the AI.

You're being kind, they'll probably index your pr0n stash & sell the data to X.com

 

[ThrashZone]

Hi,
I sure didn't upgrade to 32gbs for AI lol

Perfect nag is adding sells pitch adds for AI subscriptions to the winkey
That key cap will be removed

 

[PLAfiller]

You're being kind, they'll probably index your pr0n stash & sell the data to X.com

I mean your friends with Plex already got an email with your viewing habits....so not sure that's interesting anymore

 

[lemonadesoda]

I have already installed COPILOT since Window 3.11

 

[neatfeatguy]

Time to downgrade to 8GB of RAM!

 

[theouto]

Honestly this just makes the efficiency of linux an even bigger point.
No need for extra ram for a feature you are never going to use! Or use the ram for something actually useful, I still can't switch to linux, but oh man do I want to.

 

[Deleted member 57642]

300 million people will loose job only in US due to AI. Who cares about RAM?

The entire U.S. population is around 341.814.420 Mil - of which 25.0 are children Ages 0–5, 24.6 are children Ages 6–11, 25.7 are children Ages 12–17 and around 55.8 million are Seniors aged 65 or older.

That's 75.3 Children and 55.8 Old People - which legally... shouldn't have a Job. Deducting those we have are around 210,814,420 Mil (including ill, handicapped - be it physically and/or mentally, not to mention - alcoholics, drug addicts and overly/deadly obese - so the real number of functional members of society is probably around 70 mil lower - more or less).

Hmm...

Poor American toddlers...

The Three-Year Old! (1933)

Loosing their chimney cleaning jobs to A.I.

 

[ThrashZone]

Honestly this just makes the efficiency of linux an even bigger point.
No need for extra ram for a feature you are never going to use! Or use the ram for something actually useful, I still can't switch to linux, but oh man do I want to.

Hi,
Yep tried 3 times with mint and each time it was more irritation than anything else.
atm I have no linux installs anymore.

On topic I have to say most new AI features graphic wise in creation have been shown the bad actors use it most lol

Deception and impersonation is easy with AI it seems.

 

[trsttte]

300 million people will loose job only in US due to AI. Who cares about RAM?

Don't be silly

 

[Dirt Chip]

Don't be silly

View attachment 330328

That is, AI can do the work equal to work that 300M American can do aka AI can do about 3 time the workload of actual America workload.
Or something like that..

 

[Random_User]

16 GB needed to store all of the stolen data they used to train the AI.

Yeah. It's already not enough of them to just steal the data. They want it to be processed at the conveyor speed, and the expence of the end user. So people would have to pay power bills for the computing, that benefits only MS and the like.
Not even counting that, the processing power and resouces that being stollen from the user, that required for doing task one needs. Such arrogance.

Honestly this just makes the efficiency of linux an even bigger point.
No need for extra ram for a feature you are never going to use! Or use the ram for something actually useful, I still can't switch to linux, but oh man do I want to.

I'm afraid, that's only the matter of time, until something similar would happen with linux as well, and it would be integrated into kernel.