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Nvidia Returns to PC Chips With RTX Spark and Microsoft’s Surface Laptop Ultra

If delivered, the Arm-based RTX Spark could let Windows PCs run large AI models locally and shift workloads from cloud servers to personal devices.

Overview

  • Nvidia unveiled the RTX Spark Superchip for Windows on Arm, combining a 20‑core Grace CPU with a Blackwell GPU and NVLink to deliver a claimed ~1 petaflop of AI performance.
  • Microsoft revealed Surface devices using RTX Spark, including the Surface Laptop Ultra with a 15-inch mini‑LED screen and a preconfigured Surface RTX Spark Dev Box for developers.
  • Partners including Dell, Lenovo, HP and ASUS have committed to RTX Spark systems that Nvidia says will appear in premium laptops and desktops starting this fall.
  • Hands-on reviews praise design and raw performance but note open questions about battery life, power and thermal efficiency, app compatibility on Windows‑on‑Arm, and the lack of independent benchmarks.
  • Price and supply risks could limit who benefits: early reports suggest premium starting prices around $3,000, and industry demand from AI datacenters is tightening memory and component availability, which could raise costs and affect shipments.