Microsoft Surface Laptop Ultra with Nvidia RTX Spark brings 1 petaflop AI compute to Windows on Arm

This is the Microsoft Surface Laptop Ultra with Nvidia RTX Spark

Once upon a time, Microsoft had to write off $900 million betting an Arm-based Nvidia chip could power its first flagship Windows portable, the original Microsoft Surface. But today, it's trying again. Microsoft and Nvidia have just announced the Surface Laptop Ultra, a computer with a new Arm-based Nvidia chip at its core. There's a lot we don't know about the 15-inch Surface Laptop Ultra, such as its final specs or the foggiest idea of what it might cost. But Microsoft is promising it's the most powerful Surface, period: "This is the most powerful thing we've ever made," Microsoft Surface boss Andrew Hill replies, when we ask how it stacks up. It features Nvidia's new RTX Spark "superchip," which is roughly the same processor the company already sold in its DGX Spark mini-PC for AI developers, but now optimized to work with Windows 11 instead. That chip has up to 20 CPU cores, 6,144 GPU cores and 128GB of unified memory, though some versions will be sold with as few as 16GB -- Nvidia told journalists in briefings that the RTX Spark family will eventually expand to reach a range of prices. In addition to that chip, which should offer the typical "all-day battery life," roughly RTX 5070 laptop level graphics, and up to 1 petaflop of AI compute, the Surface Laptop will have a 15-inch mini-LED touchscreen at 262 pixels per inch. Microsoft says it's "the brightest display we've ever shipped" with 2,000 nits of peak HDR brightness, and that it the largest haptic trackpad that Microsoft has ever shipped on a Surface. It'll come in dark grey and silver, and should weigh under 4.5 pounds. Ports include USB-C, USB-A, HDMI, and a full-size SD card slot and headphone jack, though Microsoft isn't saying what speeds or versions we're getting from any of them yet. (It looks like we're getting three USB-C ports?) Instead of those concrete details, its blog post is amusingly filled with statements like these: The Surface Laptop Ultra won't be the only machine coming this fall with Nvidia's new chips, but Microsoft is intimately involved in the success of the other RTX Spark laptops and mini-PCs as well. Microsoft and Nvidia say they've been working together for years to get Windows ready for Arm devices like these, and for the RTX Spark specifically. You can hear more about that in our full RTX Spark story, and in Microsoft's blog post where it talks about some of the specific tweaks it's made to take advantage of the RTX Spark, and the developers who've been convinced to support Windows on Arm.

Microsoft's Nvidia RTX Spark-powered Surface Laptop Ultra will push Windows on Arm further than ever

* The Surface Laptop Ultra has been revealed with Nvidia's Arm-based RTX Spark chip and up to 128GB unified memory. * The laptop features a 15-inch mini-LED PixelSense Ultra display, a large haptic touchpad, all-day battery, and weighs 4.5lbs. * The RTX Spark is optimized for Windows and several specific apps, including Adobe, Copilot, Epic, and more. The laptop will release this fall, but pricing hasn't been confirmed yet. Following months of reports and a coordinated tease earlier this week, Microsoft has officially revealed the Surface Laptop Ultra, a new high-end laptop powered by Nvidia's long-rumored Arm-based RTX Spark chip. If this chip is coming out of nowhere for you, it's worth noting that it was known as the N1 and N1X in rumors leading up to its official reveal. Microsoft says the laptop's powerful chip features Blackwell RTX cores, power-efficient cores, and up to 128GB of unified memory, supporting up to 1 petaflop of AI compute power, and that it emphasizes sustained performance per watt, allowing it to stay cool under intense workloads (specific core numbers for the RTX Spark featured in the Surface Laptop Ultra haven't been confirmed yet, unfortunately). Other notable hardware specs include a 15-inch mini-LED PixelSense Ultra touchscreen display with up to 2,000-nit peak HDR brightness (262ppi). Additionally, the Surface Laptop Ultra features an expansive haptic touchpad that's larger than anything in the Surface line before, "all-day battery," and a weight of 4.5lbs (slightly heavier than the current 15-inch Surface Laptop). Ports include 3 USB-C ports, a USB-A port, an SD card slot, an HDMI port, and a 3.5mm headphone jack (it's unclear how fast its USB ports are). Colors include a black-like Nightfall and a silver-looking Platinum. Microsoft hasn't revealed the Surface Laptop Ultra's full technical specs yet, but this story will be updated as more information becomes available. The tech giant says that the Surface Laptop Ultra's RTX Spark chip has been optimized for Windows with developer and creator workloads in mind, and lists several key apps that have been optimized for the chip through Nvidia's and Microsoft's ongoing partnership with app developers, including Adobe's suite, Affinity, Claude Code, GitHub Copilot, the Xbox app, the Epic App, and more. In its press release, Microsoft emphasizes that it designed the Surface Laptop Ultra "from the inside out," stating that "Mechanical, electrical, thermal, acoustic, materials, industrial design, and software engineers" worked on the high-end laptop from day one to create a laptop that embodies the following statement: "Nothing wasted. Everything intentional." The Surface Laptop Ultra looks a lot like the current Surface Laptop More laptops that feature Nvidia's RTX Spark chip are definitely on the way The Surface Laptop Ultra looks very similar to the recently revealed 15-inch Surface Laptop for business (8th-generation), including its squared-off sides and minimized bezels. It's worth noting that Microsoft used Nvidia's Arm-powered Tegra chip for its original Surface RT tablet back in 2012, before eventually partnering more closely with Qualcomm on its Surface-related Arm efforts several years later, a partnership that continues today. Alongside the Surface Laptop Ultra, companies like Asus, Dell, HP, and Lenovo will launch products featuring Nvidia's new RTX Spark chip. Microsoft says the Surface Laptop Ultra is scheduled to release this coming fall, and states that pricing will be available closer to its release. Microsoft has been significantly adjusting its strategy for Surface products over the last few years. The company killed off the Surface Book, the Surface Hub touchscreen, the Surface Duo, and even the Surface Laptop Studio. Windows on Arm has been improving leaps and bounds over the past couple of years thanks to the foundational work completed by Microsoft and Qualcomm with its Snapdragon X series of chips. With the Surface Laptop Ultra, it's clear that Microsoft is confident in what Nvidia is bringing to the ecosystem, and an additional chipmaker entering the fray will almost certainly push Windows on Arm adoption and compatibility further than before.

Microsoft Surface Laptop Ultra with 15'' mini-LED touch display, NVIDIA Blackwell RTX GPU announced

Microsoft has announced the upcoming release of the Surface Laptop Ultra, a high-performance device designed specifically for developers, AI builders, and creators who require massive computing power. Developed in close partnership with NVIDIA, the laptop is engineered from the ground up to handle demanding local workloads, including 3D rendering, large-scale software compilation, and complex artificial intelligence models. Technical Specifications and Architecture The Surface Laptop Ultra is positioned as the most powerful Surface device to date. It introduces a specialized architecture tailored for high-throughput computing, bridging the gap between portable workstations and desktop-class performance. Silicon and Processing Power The device is the first in the Surface lineup to integrate an NVIDIA Blackwell RTX GPU, featuring full CUDA support. This hardware configuration delivers up to 1 petaflop of AI compute, which enables the system to run artificial intelligence models with up to 120 billion parameters locally. Unified Memory Architecture To eliminate traditional data bottlenecks between the processor and graphics card, the Surface Laptop Ultra utilizes a unified memory architecture: * Capacity: Configurable up to 128GB of unified memory. * Functionality: The system dynamically allocates the RAM pool between the CPU and GPU based on real-time workload demands. * Use Case: This allows for the simultaneous execution of multi-model AI workflows, heavy 3D rendering, and background compilations without performance degradation. Thermal Efficiency and Design Microsoft emphasizes an "inside-out" engineering approach for the Surface Laptop Ultra, co-developed by mechanical, electrical, thermal, acoustic, and software engineers. The internal architecture is optimized to manage the heat generated by the Blackwell GPU and high-efficiency CPU while maintaining quiet operation. Despite its high power output, the device is designed for mobility, offering precise, lightweight chassis construction and all-day battery life to support extended workloads away from a power source. Display and Interface Features The external hardware is tailored toward precise creative and technical work, highlighted by a premium display and an expanded interface selection. Connectivity and Sustainability Moving away from minimalist port configurations that require external adapters, the Surface Laptop Ultra includes a comprehensive selection of built-in I/O ports designed for professional workflows: * HDMI * USB-C * USB-A * SD Card Slot * 3.5mm Headphone Jack Microsoft states that the design philosophy balances structural durability and peak performance with repairability, ensuring the machine's longevity matches its hardware capabilities. Software Optimization and Availability The hardware is deeply integrated with Windows and optimized specifically for RTX Spark, ensuring that software developers and AI creators can leverage the full capabilities of the hardware ecosystem out of the box. The Surface Laptop Ultra is scheduled for official release later this year. Pricing and specific regional availability have not yet been disclosed. Brett Ostrum, corporate vice president of Surface at Microsoft, said: Surface has always exemplified the best of what a Windows PC can be. With Surface Laptop Ultra, we're bringing that focus to creators, developers and engineers who need serious performance in a device that is thoughtfully designed, portable and deeply connected to the Windows tools and platform they count on. Our work with NVIDIA will deliver a Surface built for the way ambitious work gets done.