Microsoft‘s Project Volterra mini PC has finally gone on sale as ‘Windows Dev Kit 2023.’ The company first announced the device at its Build conference in May as part of its plans to help developers write native ARM apps that employ AI-accelerated workloads. The device is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor and offers Windows support for neural processing units (NPUs), or dedicated chips tailored to AI- and machine learning-specific workloads. While dedicated AI processing chips have become common in smartphones, they’re still relatively rare in laptops. However, that’s changing, with the M1 Macs featuring Apple’s Neural Engine and Microsoft’s Surface Pro X rocking the SQ1 chip.
As for Project Volterra, Microsoft claimed at Build 2022 that its neural processor will offer ‘best in class’ AI computing capacity and efficiency. The ARM-based Qualcomm chip is expected to enable developers build and test ARM-native apps alongside Visual Studio, VSCode, Microsoft Office and Teams. It is worth noting that this is not the first time that Microsoft and Qualcomm are collaborating closely on a project. In 2018, the two had together announced the Vision Intelligence Platform for IoT devices.
Officially called the Windows Dev Kit 2023, the ARM-powered Project Volterra mini PC is now available for purchase on the official Microsoft Store for $599. Apart from the U.S., the device is also on sale in Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Japan, and the U.K. In a press release announcing the launch, Microsoft said that the device will help developers “bring their entire app development process onto one compact device, giving them everything they need to build Windows apps for Arm, on Arm.”
Microsoft’s Windows Dev Kit 2023
The Windows Dev Kit 2023 is powered by Qualcomm’s 8cx Gen 3 processor and includes a dedicated NPU (neural processing unit). Other hardware specifications include 32GB RAM and 512GB of unspecified “fast” storage, as well as a slew of ports, including two USB-C ports, three USB-A ports, Ethernet, and a Mini Display port. It also supports Wi-Fi 6 and enables users to connect up to three monitors simultaneously, including two at 4K 60Hz.
The dedicated NPU in the new device enables developers to create ARM-native AI-powered apps with tools like Microsoft Teams, Microsoft Office, Visual Studio, .NET 7, and VSCode. It also offers support for machine learning frameworks, including PyTorch and TensorFlow. According to Microsoft, the dedicated NPU in the new device is about 80-90 times faster than the CPU and about 20 times faster than the GPU on certain models.
