Taiwanese media reports indicate that Microsoft is gearing up for the release of Windows 12 in June 2024, with insights gleaned from statements made by Acer’s chairman and the founder of PC contract manufacturer Quanta, Barry Lam. The Commercial Times, Taiwan’s prominent financial publication, highlighted this revelation in a report stemming from a recent medical conference. While the CT did not explicitly attribute the Windows 12 launch date to either executive, it emphasized Lam’s indication that Quanta would be at the forefront of investments in AI PCs, a new category of computers announced by Intel’s CEO, Pat Gelsinger, in July.
The term “AI PC” varies slightly in definition among companies, but it generally denotes a personal computer equipped with a processor featuring on-chip AI capabilities. Notably, this includes processors like Intel’s Meteor Lake, AMD’s Ryzen AI, and Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite CPU. Intel is set to gather PC manufacturers in New York on December 14 for the launch of AI PCs, with a broader showcase expected at CES in Las Vegas come January. As anticipation builds, the insights from Taiwan’s PC industry hint at a significant development with the potential release of Windows 12 in the summer of 2024. Stay tuned for further updates on this evolving tech narrative.
Microsoft, of course, has already begun shipping its own AI capabilities as part of Copilot, part of Windows 11’s 2023 Update. That large-language-model currently connects to the cloud, not a local processor. It’s unclear whether Windows 12 will continue that trend, or whether the OS will be able to use local AI capabilities instead.
PC makers, however, have certainly been given roadmaps by all of the AI players, as they ready their own hardware.
What’s unclear is the certainty of the June 2024 launch date. Similar reports by the Central News Agency (the news service of the Republic of China) and DigiTimes don’t mention that specific date, though it’s largely assumed that Microsoft will launch Windows 12 next year.
