Microsoft to Hold AI and Surface Event Right Before Build 2024

Microsoft has started sending invites to the media for a Surface and AI event that will take place in Seattle on May 20, just a day before the company’s Build 2024 developer conference kicks off. The in-person event will feature CEO Satya Nadella, and it’s expected to continue the “AI PC” push Microsoft and its manufacturing partners kicked off at CES in January.

As a reminder, Microsoft has a first event planned this Thursday, March 21, where the company should unveil new versions of its Surface Pro and Surface Laptops for commercial customers. These new devices will reportedly ship with Intel Core Ultra CPUs, which come with a dedicated neural processing unit for AI workloads. However, the design changes should be minimal.

Microsoft’s second event on May 20, however, will reportedly feature the consumer versions of the Surface Pro 10 and Surface Laptop 6. The two devices will be powered by Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon X Elite chips, which are the first Qualcomm chips designed from the ground up for Windows on ARM PCs. The chip maker previously said that we should expect multiple days of battery life and better performance than Intel’s latest Core Ultra chips.

While Microsoft didn’t refresh its Surface Pro and Surface Laptop last year, the consumer versions of the Surface Pro 10 and Surface Laptop 6 are expected to introduce various design changes. The new Surface Pro should get an OLED display with an anti-reflective coating, while the new laptop may come with thinner display bezels with rounded corners and a new haptic touchpad.

Lastly, this May 20 event should also be when Microsoft reveals new AI features coming to Windows 11 later this year. Windows Central previously reported that Microsoft was working on an “AI Explorer” feature, which will help users find anything on their PC using natural language prompts. Other new AI features coming to Windows 11 may include on-device live captions and a Super Resolution mode for games.