Microsoft unveils Surface Laptop Ultra with Nvidia RTX Spark chip and Surface RTX Spark Dev Box

Microsoft used a Windows and Surface-focused keynote to unveil the Surface Laptop Ultra, a premium laptop powered by Nvidia’s RTX Spark Arm-based chip. The base configuration starts at $2,599 and includes an 8-core CPU, 24GB of RAM, and 512GB of storage, with a release date of October 16. The device features a 15-inch HDR touchscreen with up to 2,000 nits of peak brightness and a larger haptic trackpad.

The company also announced the Surface RTX Spark Dev Box, a developer-oriented mini PC powered by Nvidia’s RTX Spark platform. The Dev Box is available for preorder at $5,999 and is slated to ship in November. It includes 128GB of unified memory and is positioned for running local AI workloads, including models exceeding 120B parameters.

Microsoft detailed updates to Windows, including a feature called ‘Hybrid Intelligence’ that enables Copilot to access files on a user’s PC and perform actions across the operating system. In a demonstration, Microsoft showed Copilot using Hybrid Intelligence to locate documents, rename files, compress them, and draft an email to send to an accountant.

The Surface Laptop Ultra replaces Microsoft’s proprietary Surface Connect magnetic charging with a magnetic USB-C charging solution, marking a shift in the company’s charging port design.