Windows 11 AI File Explorer may be exclusive to ARM PCs

Windows 11 File Explorer’s artificial intelligence (AI) tools may be exclusive to PCs with Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite CPUs, shows the minimum requirements page leaked by a whistleblower on X (formerly Twitter) this Thursday (18). The features were found to be in development for Microsoft’s next major operating system update.

The reason for the exclusivity is unclear, but it may be due to a partnership between Microsoft and Qualcomm or as a result of some specificity of the component towards processing functions.

According to the tipster responsible for the discovery, known at X as @thebookisclosed, The requirements also mention the requirement for a CPU with ARM architecture, 16 GB RAM and at least 225 GB storage.

It turns out that Windows 11 build 26100 (claimed to be 24H2 RTM) includes AI Explorer requirements. added to operating system
?? ARM64 CPU
?? 16GiB RAM
?? 225GiB system drive (total, not free space)
?? Snapdragon X Elite NPU (HWID QCOM0D0A)
I guess this is one way to drive adoption of ARM64?????? pic.twitter.com/ZbQf4KY1BN

—Albacore?? (@thebookisclosed) April 18, 2024

A. restriction may be an attempt to boost sales of ARM computers With Windows, a market where Microsoft has been trying to gain ground against Apple for years. However, as a result, the vast majority of operating system users will not be able to use this function either on modern laptops or on traditional desktop computers.

What’s new in AI File Explorer?

Information about File Explorer’s AI tools is very scarce. It is known so far that its function will be sort of like a complement to Copilotassisting the user with routine tasks such as creating file summaries, assisting with searches, helping preview content, and implementing the dynamic Context Menu, changing options as per the user’s preference.

However, rumors about the vehicle are not very concrete and testers have not been able to run the new feature yet. Therefore everything remains a secret.

AI File Explorer is likely to be introduced as one of the new features of Windows 11 22H2, the first major system update. However, it is possible that the update will be released only months after its release.

In a recent post, Qualcomm released a teaser for the possible launch of the Snapdragon X Elite next Wednesday (24).