so when Windows 11 came out,
Mhm.
Microsoft's like, you need a TPM chip.
The future is secure. Future is great,
whatever. And then not long after that,
they're like, if you really want like a
cool Windows machine, you need an NPU
and like go get an NPU
because it'll do cool things.
Yep.
However,
yep,
they've kind of boxed themselves into a
weird scenario where it's like, if you
want an AI version desktop OS, you've
got to have a co-pilot plus PC. However,
every single AI company on planet Earth,
including these new agents that have
just been announced, have just proven
that you do not need an NPU to do
anything related to AI, uh, even on your
local device at this point anymore.
And so, Microsoft's over here saying
like, "Get an NPU. It's for cool AI
stuff." And chat GBT is like, "We don't
need your NPU. Like, we'll do all this
cool stuff without it."
Brad, is there a question in here
somewhere?
I don't know. Like, I feel like
Microsoft has screwed themselves. And um
so I Yeah. Uh
how do I say this? If you think about
the evolution of MPUs on phones, which
started out as special use case chips
for like you know like um the pixels had
something called I think it was called
pixel visual core. It was sort of a
you know a way to bypass the CPU
integrated GPU to do certain camera
related things because you know they
were slow and they were doing
computational photography etc. And then
Apple and Google and whatever so now we
have MPU so they they have
There are things that are there that you
don't think about, but they speed up
certain operations, right? That's the
point. And to a
to an incredible degree, I mean,
honestly, the the problem of PCs is that
they're these big boxes that have GPUs
and whatever. And so, if you do you've
done this, I mean, if but if anyone
listening to this has ever tried to play
around with local AI, however you do it,
like AI Studio or whatever it's called,
Visual Studio Code is the one I've used.
Um, there are a lot of local models that
just run on the CPU and GPU and there
are some that run on the MPU for sure,
but and maybe they're better and more
efficient, but this I don't I don't mind
the notion of co-pilot plus PC, but I
feel like if you buy a gaming rig or you
have some kind of a big hulking Nvidia
whatever GPU,
right,
you should be getting this stuff. And
we're past the point where it makes
sense that that's not the case. So, I
don't I don't know if this is like
protecting their partner Qualcomm
because they're not quite there yet with
the GPU stuff or whatever, but um but
the anyway, but the primary point is
there I don't know that there is a
compelling use case on the
PC as there is on the phone because
phones are, you know, everyone takes
pictures,
you know, so you're like, "Okay, this
makes sense to me." Yep. On the PC,
there are many, many use cases for it,
but it's always like this individual
feature in some app that you may or may
not use. So, like I use Affinity Photo,
they have an object selection tool that
uses local AI. You have to download a
model, but unless I'm missing something,
I I think it runs off the CPU. I don't
think I don't think it needs
an MPU. So you could use a cap cut or
whatever video editor Da Vinci Resolve
does this I guess where one to four or
five features if you have the MPU run
better but that's not a
it's not a selling point like I I I
think when people buy like a Pixel
they're like I one of the reasons would
be I really like the quality of the
photos they're not really thinking about
the MPU or whatever. Um, when you buy a
Windows PC, you're doing it for all the
normal reasons that's always been true.
Yeah.
The apps and blah blah familiarity,
whatever it is. And the MPU is like,
it's like, okay, I mean, I think we're
at the point where people at some point
have to buy a new PC. They do it
begrudgingly and they do or do not get
whatever hardware and they do or do not
get whatever benefits. But I just did
this in an ask Paul thing on Friday. you
list out like like what's in Windows and
there are some like you if you've used
click to-do is actually you know it's
useful like there it's
could that run on any PC I don't know
could it run on any PC with a GPU yeah I
mean absolutely would it be as efficient
no probably not does anyone really care
I mean like I
yeah when you're telling somebody who
has an AMD whatever 9800X 3D
they put a 5090 in there from Nvidia and
they're like, "You know what? You can't
actually remove backgrounds in photos
because you don't have a co-pilot plus
PC." Like, that's a that's a problem.
It's artificial. That's the problem. And
they can talk. What is it like 50 40
whatever the number is for Copilot Plus
PCs? 45 tops something whatever.
Um these Nvidia GPUs have like 450 or
500 or whatever the figure is like. Plus
your PC has a combined tops rating that
is CPU, GPU, MPU. And I I always talk
about this for whatever reason, but like
this is
the the system, Windows in this case,
should orchestrate every one of those
tasks to whatever processor makes the
most sense based on what you have.
That's that type of scheduling or
whatever you want to call it,
orchestration is what an operating
system does. It it
the only reason Windows doesn't do this
right now is I I think it's artificial.
I think it's protecting the partner that
went they went to market with and it's
like they must have some we always talk
about this with Qualcomm for some reason
there's like this period of exclusivity
or whatever. I it this is beyond the
point of making sense.
I don't know.
Yeah. I I don't
I don't know. I know. Well, and the
other thing just for what it's worth and
you've done this like again local AI
versus cloud AI you can have that chat
experience. It's just like using chat
GPT or copilot whatever and have it do
things and what you'll see is it's not
as good right and the graphical way to
say this which I also mentioned and
asked Paul the other day is I always
forget which is which but I co-creator
is the feature I believe that's in paint
that is local and requires a copilot
plus PC and you can have it generate
images they look like a child's thing
that you would put on the refrigerator
and then you go to you know designer on
the web or any midjourney or all the
other things have to generate an image
and it's in disccernible from like a
photograph and that's the difference
between cloud and local AI. Now the
thing in the cloud is burning through
you know like a city's worth of energy I
guess to make that image but
um I don't think anyone cares not to be
but I mean
I believe you're correct and I'm not
sitting here trying to say like NPUs are
are a waste of time or whatever. It's I
do think locally run agents are a thing
in the future. We're not there yet. But
the problem is is that Microsoft has
intentionally fragmented
y
where they are today and like like
they're already outdated because of just
just hardware at the end of the day and
then you have more powerful things out
there that can do what those do but they
won't let them do it because it doesn't
make sense because that breaks their I
don't know
look Intel is struggling but one of the
parts of the story one of the part of
that story to use English is
apprised of co-pilot plus PC. Intel had
to rush into market this lunar lake
thing which wasn't what was going to
happen next. And they had to pull from
different parts and cobble together this
thing and use different like sheets of
you know layers and and integrate RAM
like AMD and Qualcomm already do. And it
it cost them I mean it almost sunk the
company and they're never going to do it
again. And since then they've released
desktop chips and other mobile chips,
Aerol Lakeake, whatever they're called,
that don't have those MPUs. And like,
you know, Intel, I mean, look, they're
struggling, but I mean, they they
understand making chips like that was a
big struggle for them to get there, you
know, now next year or this coming year,
I guess. Uh they'll probably correct
that. I'm sure eventually now we'll get
to that point where every mass-roduced
Intel chip other than the super low-end
stuff will have these capable MPUs, I
guess. But like again,
okay, great. So, two years in now, I
guess by the time that happens, what's
the big benefit? Is it I can hold down
the Windows key and see purple and, you
know, pink colors on my screen.
That's the whole thing.
I I don't Yeah, it's like the new Siri,
like the What's the biggest benefit of
the new Siri? It's really pretty, you
know. It's really pretty. stupid as
ever,
you know, but uh more attractive user
interface. Um
they got to fix this because Windows
should be the premier spot for all for
everything. I mean, if you're a
developer, for a developer, if you're a
user, for whatever the functions are and
it should take advantage of the features
of your computer. That's that's what
Windows does, dude. I know that's the
whole point here is like they've got
this fabricated completely fictitious
line in the sand of a co-pilot plus PC
but it's holding back
the other part. So I think uh given the
lingo of the day we could make the
argument that this is another form of
insuranceification certification as we
can say on the old show and the reason
being that Microsoft's corporate aims in
this case some strategic partnership
with Qualcomm on MPUs and blah blah blah
and forcing us down everyone's throats
for for reasons that make sense on
laptops and whatever uh has created an
artificial
bifurcation or whatever features in
Windows and you've got people have spent
more money than others on really
expensive GPU based PCs, whether they're
gaming computers, workstations, whatever
they are that Windows is like, yeah, I
don't even see that thing. And I'm
sorry, but that's freaking stupid. Like,
well, and it's even worse when Nvidia
comes along with their own app and says,
"Look, here now you can do it all. It's
not officially Copilot Plus PC, but
look, here's the software. It does
everything that you wanted." And
well, you use Microsoft's own tool, the
use of Visual Studio Code, download
local models and run them on your GPU,
and guess what? They run great. you
know, as good as those things can do. I
mean, you
correct? It's still slower. And
look, I you could drive across the
country in an efficient vehicle like
yours. You could go in a monster truck.
The monster truck is going to guzzle
more gas, but if that's what you have,
you can still drive across the country.
Like, that's your choice.
Yep.
It doesn't make sense
to
uh kneecap the most powerful computers
there are. Like, what are you doing,
Microsoft? Like, it doesn't make any
sense. Obviously, you let those guys in.
To me, I don't know.
And by the way, that doesn't threaten
Qualcomm. They don't make those kind of
computers. What's the difference? Look
at Jesus. Like,
I don't know. I Qualcomm went to market
uh with with Snapdragon X
in what I consider to be the sweet spot
of the market, right? Uh thin, light,
premium laptops. This is what most
people want. So, good, good. But for
those who are sitting there with this
hunking tower on their thing or they got
this thick whatever gaming laptop, I
don't understand not letting them be
part of this. It doesn't hurt Qualcomm,
but you it does hurt those customers,
those people. Like it there's no
rational explanation for it.
Thank god they don't use this kind of
reasoning when they lay people off
because just
Yeah. I don't know. I I just can't get
this like out of my head that Microsoft
has backed itself into a corner. And
part of me and and I think I understand
one of the reasons I bet that they
charge more money for that co-pilot plus
PC branding. So if you want to have a
device designated that they probably
there's upcharge. So if they just say
like, "Oh, everything that's whatever
5090 is, well, Microsoft's like, well,
we didn't make money from it, so we're
not going to give it to them." Like,
which is
okay because there's whoever Lenovo has
Legion computers. Dell has what they
Alienware, HP, whatever they have.
He's telling me that these people, these
companies are selling a two $3,000
gaming whatever,
and they're cheapening out on the
Windows license. Like,
I'm not even worried about the laptops.
I mean the desk.
No, but I'm saying like Windows 11 Pro
is probably the cheapest, right? Windows
11 Pro and then you you're what you're
saying and I'm probably right, is
Copilot Plus is essentially a third
skew, although it could be Home or Pro,
right?
But essentially a sort of an added cost
license like a like it's not just
meeting the spec. You actually have to I
that's an that's a good question. I I
wonder if I could probably find that
out. I'm gonna I'm gonna ask around and
see if that's
um because you would think look I'm sure
am or no not am well AMD and Intel but
also the PC makers that are like look
most of the computers we sell are Intel
like I mean uh what are you doing you
know like what do we what do we what's
this weird requirement but then again I
don't know dealing with Microsoft all
these years they're probably used to
stupidity but um yeah this is not the
like the margins are so low on PCs This
is not the type of thing you like nickel
and dime companies over. It's like just
give them this. Like what are you doing?
If you want to advance the platform,
I don't know what's happening. I wish
you hadn't mentioned this. Now my brain
is all fried.
Happy to ruin your week.
Thank you. Happy Monday, you bastard.
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