Since 2024, Microsoft has been promoting a category of computers called "Copilot+ PCs." This branding was meant to help consumers easily identify Windows devices that can run AI-powered tasks locally, rather than relying on cloud-based processing. The goal was to highlight systems with specific hardware capabilities that support advanced artificial intelligence features. However, Microsoft’s latest Surface computers, announced this week, do not carry the Copilot+ PC label, even though they meet the technical requirements for that classification. Brett Ostrum, a corporate vice president at Microsoft’s Surface division, explained that while the new Surface Pro 12-inch (2nd Edition) and Surface Laptop 13-inch (2nd Edition) meet the standards for Copilot+ PCs, they are not being marketed under that name. “They do meet all the requirements of our previous standard for what Copilot+ devices are,” Ostrum said. “We still focus on the narrative around AI on the edge and the ability to have a hybrid solution available.” These devices are equipped with Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Plus processors and a Qualcomm Hexagon NPU capable of performing 80 trillion operations per second (TOPS), exceeding the 40 TOPS threshold required for the Copilot+ label. Kedar Kondap, senior vice president of compute at Qualcomm, told Windows Central that the Copilot+ branding was created to define a category of devices with specific AI capabilities. “It was to define a certain category of devices with a certain standard and metric, like, for example, a 45 TOPS NPU,” he said. While the label may no longer be as prominent, the underlying hardware and AI capabilities remain consistent. The shift in branding does not necessarily mean the devices are less capable; rather, Microsoft may be evolving how it communicates these features to consumers. The Copilot+ PC concept was once a key part of Microsoft’s marketing strategy. As recently as May, the company had a dedicated webpage describing Copilot+ PCs as “the fastest, most intelligent Windows PCs ever.” However, that page now redirects to a section about “performance PCs,” where the Copilot+ label is mentioned but not emphasized. This suggests that while the technical requirements for Copilot+ PCs remain in place, the branding and marketing focus may be shifting toward broader categories of high-performance devices.