Microsoft's Copilot+ PC initiative is now over one year old, but so far, it has only been available on tablets and laptops, with a couple of mini-PCs in between. However, it looks like Intel's next-generation desktop processors, codenamed Arrow Lake Refresh, will finally bring Copilot+ PC capabilities to desktop computers.
The biggest requirement for a PC to support all Copilot+ PC features, such as Recall, Click to Do, Windows Studio Effects, and more, is a neural processing unit (NPU) capable of delivering at least 40 TOPS. Intel already has desktop chips with NPUs, but they provide fewer TOPS, which makes them ineligible for Copilot+ PC. That should change in the Arrow Lake Refresh generation.
According to a recent report, the next Core Ultra series will feature the NPU 4 design borrowed from Intel's mobile processors that support Copilot+ PC features (Lunar Lake), making the new series the first desktop processor lineup in the Copilot+ PC program. For reference, AMD's latest mobile chips also have eligible NPUs, but the desktop processors are still "regular" in terms of Windows 11's AI capabilities.
Besides a newer, more powerful NPU, Arrow Lake Refresh is expected to bring faster clocks to make Core Ultra desktop chips better at gaming. The Core Ultra 200 Series was disappointing in this regard, and AMD's X3D chips outperform Intel's latest offering on the gaming side. However, Arrow Lake Refresh is not expected to offer more processor or graphics cores. Instead, it will focus on improving AI workloads and general performance thanks to slightly higher clock speeds.
Intel Arrow Lake Refresh is expected to launch later this year with the same LGA-1851 socket, which will then be replaced by the Nova Lake and its LGA-1954 socket.