Microsoft to hold a special Windows and Surface AI event in May

Microsoft is holding an AI event in the morning on Monday, May 20th — right before Build 2024 starts. In an invite emailed to media, Microsoft says CEO Satya Nadella will talk about the company’s “AI vision across hardware and software.”

The event won’t be livestreamed and will only be open to journalists who attend the event in person. Microsoft’s special event will focus on upcoming Surface hardware and changes to Windows that are all focused on AI. While the software giant is holding a business-focused Surface event later this week, sources familiar with Microsoft’s plans tell The Verge that the May 20th event will include the consumer versions of the Surface Pro 10 and Surface Laptop 6.

These consumer Surface devices will run on Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon X Elite processors, and include dedicated NPU hardware for accelerating AI tasks in Windows 11. Microsoft is also working on a new AI Explorer feature for Windows 11 that’s designed to work as a timeline you can search through on your PC. Windows Central reports that it will catalog everything you do on your PC so you can search for moments, much like the Timeline feature in Windows 10 that Microsoft eventually removed.

This event will also set the stage for “the year of the AI PC,” as Microsoft has described it. Partners including AMD, Intel, and Qualcomm are all ready to ship processors for Microsoft’s big Windows AI push, but we’re waiting to hear when Windows will be ready to take advantage of these new chips and laptops.

The May 20th event will also include other parts of Microsoft’s AI initiatives, including Copilot. Microsoft recently launched its $20 per month Copilot Pro subscription worldwide, which lets users access the latest OpenAI models in Microsoft Office apps.

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Microsoft Build starts on Tuesday, May 21st and runs through May 22nd. There, Microsoft says it will share updates on “AI, Copilots, and more.” The event will take place both in person in Seattle and online.