Microsoft has unveiled a new range of Windows PCs powered by Nvidia’s RTX Spark chip, introducing hardware designed to run artificial intelligence models locally alongside a revamped version of Windows 11 built to support AI agents.
At an event in San Francisco during the city’s Tech Week on Wednesday, Microsoft disclosed specifications and pricing for its new Surface Laptop Ultra. The device is available in two base configurations, with prices starting at $2,600 and $3,700 respectively. Higher-memory and storage configurations can push the price to $5,900, while Microsoft said its most expensive version was already out of stock.
The announcement follows Nvidia’s disclosure in June that it had reached agreements with Microsoft and other PC manufacturers to develop Windows machines designed for AI and AI agents using the RTX Spark chip. At the time, few details had been provided about the systems.
Microsoft also introduced the Surface RTX Spark Dev Box, a workstation aimed specifically at developers. It starts at $6,000 and comes with development tools including VS Code, GitHub Copilot CLI, Windows Subsystem for Linux and PowerShell 7.
Both machines are designed to process AI models directly on the device rather than relying on remote computing services. Microsoft said the systems combine the CPU, GPU and unified memory with hardware changes, including improved cooling, needed to handle AI workloads locally and without usage fees.
The new hardware is accompanied by changes to Windows 11, including a feature called “Execution Containers”, which Microsoft says makes it easier to sandbox AI agents. Microsoft chief executive Satya Nadella said at the event that the feature would become available to all Windows 11 users.
Nadella said Microsoft’s experience over the past several years had shown that simply having an AI model was insufficient. “You really do need to orchestrate, and you need to have memory outside of the model,” he said, describing the need for a layer capable of combining multiple models with context, memory and an available set of actions.
Microsoft intends the new agent capabilities to extend beyond its own software. Nadella said the company was enabling the technology “not just for our apps but apps for anyone’s agent”, adding that this represented the direction of the Windows platform.
The Surface machines are primarily targeted at developers, and Microsoft is offering up to $1,000 off to customers who trade in a MacBook Pro. The company’s offer comes as Macs have become popular among developers and people interested in AI agents, particularly in Silicon Valley.
Microsoft said the new Surface PCs could also support content creation, video processing and gaming because of their high-powered graphics processing capabilities.
Dell also disclosed details on Wednesday of its previously announced XPS 16 Creator Edition, another Windows PC built around Nvidia’s RTX Spark technology. The machine is available for preorder for delivery later in October and is priced at $3,800.
