Windows 11’s Recall feature, last week, Microsoft introduced its groundbreaking Copilot Plus PCs, showcasing a range of AI advancements exclusive to these new laptops. However, in a surprising turn of events, Windows enthusiasts have managed to crack Microsoft’s flagship AI-driven Recall feature in less than two weeks, enabling it to run on hardware previously deemed incompatible.
Recall, a feature leveraging local AI models on Copilot Plus PCs, captures snapshots of user activities, allowing for easy retrieval through a timeline interface. While Microsoft initially positioned Recall as reliant on the latest neural processing units (NPU) found in new PCs, enthusiasts have found a way to adapt it to older Arm-powered hardware.
Albacore, a prominent figure in the Windows community, developed a tool named Amperage, facilitating Recall activation on devices equipped with older Qualcomm Snapdragon chips, Microsoft’s SQ processors, or Ampere chipsets. Although currently limited to older Windows on Arm hardware, the imminent release of Copilot Plus PCs from AMD and Intel suggests broader compatibility may be on the horizon.
While Microsoft has only made its AI components available for the Windows on Arm platform, speculation is rife regarding the eventual release of AI components for Intel and AMD-powered hardware. Despite being technically feasible to unlock Recall on x86 devices, its functionality remains restricted until Microsoft publishes the necessary x64 AI components.
The prospect of backporting more Copilot Plus PC features to existing hardware is also on the horizon. However, questions persist regarding Microsoft’s decision to restrict AI-powered Windows features to new devices boasting NPUs capable of over 40 trillion operations per second (TOPS).
Microsoft may argue that the 40 TOPS requirement sets a baseline for future AI experiences and safeguards against performance degradation on CPUs and GPUs, thereby preserving laptop battery life. Yet, the strategic positioning of Copilot Plus PCs as a catalyst for PC sales growth amidst rising demand for AI-capable devices cannot be overlooked.