Microsoft has priced its Surface Laptop Ultra from $2,599.99 for a model with 24GB of RAM, while a 128GB version costs $5,899.99. The laptop is the debut platform for Nvidia’s RTX Spark, described as Nvidia’s entry into Arm-based PC chips. Microsoft says the chip is built for local AI workloads and creative tasks.
The product brings together Microsoft’s Surface hardware and a new Nvidia processor. Its stated role is to support work that Microsoft says earlier chips could not handle at the level the company wanted. The report describes the laptop as a bid to compete with MacBook Pro.
What is RTX Spark designed to do?
RTX Spark is a chip that combines a CPU and GPU, according to the source. A CPU handles general computing tasks, while a GPU is used for graphics and other workloads that benefit from parallel processing. Microsoft says RTX Spark is intended to bring workstation-level components into a portable device, though the available material does not give independent test results.
Microsoft says the chip is aimed at local AI processing and creative work. Local processing means the work runs on the laptop rather than relying on cloud computing. The company says the system can run compressed models with 280 billion parameters locally, which it contrasts with the cloud requirement for such models a year earlier.
Why did Microsoft choose Nvidia?
Brett Ostrum, Microsoft’s corporate vice president of Surface, said Microsoft had initially focused its Copilot Plus PC initiative on Qualcomm chips in 2024. The project was aimed at MacBook Air, according to Ostrum. He said the chips then available did not provide enough computing capability for Microsoft’s ambition to compete with MacBook Pro.
The report says Nvidia privately showed Microsoft what its forthcoming chips could do for AI. Microsoft saw a fit with its goal of competing at the MacBook Pro level, Ostrum said. The two companies then worked together over several years, leading to the Surface Laptop Ultra launch.
What does the laptop include?
The Surface Laptop Ultra has a CNC-machined aluminium body, a large trackpad and chiclet keys, according to the source. Its ports include HDMI and an SD card slot, and the laptop has a high-resolution touchscreen. Vents sit beneath a slightly raised base, while the source also describes a “nightfall” colour option resembling Apple’s space grey.
Microsoft links the GPU and unified memory to workloads such as creating Blender 3D objects and working in Premiere or Photoshop. The report does not provide benchmark figures for those tasks. It also does not detail memory configurations beyond the 24GB and 128GB models or explain the other differences between them.
How are the configurations priced?
The entry configuration has 24GB of RAM and a listed price of $2,599.99. The top configuration has 128GB of memory and costs $5,899.99. The source attributes these prices to the Surface Laptop Ultra launch, but does not state availability dates or regional pricing beyond the figures given.
Microsoft also points to device testing at its campus in Redmond, Washington. The report describes robots pressing buttons, exposure to radio waves and tests involving drops from different heights. It does not say how the Surface Laptop Ultra performed in any of those procedures, so the description explains the process rather than establishing a product result.
What remains to be confirmed?
The material does not give independent measurements of RTX Spark performance or comparisons with other laptops. It also leaves availability timing and the detailed specifications of each configuration unstated. Those details would help buyers assess Microsoft’s claims about local AI and creative workloads.
For now, the clearest information is the chip’s role, the headline memory options and their prices. Microsoft has framed the device as a MacBook Pro competitor, while the source records that aim as a company position. Independent testing and further launch information remain the next evidence points.
Sources
- How Microsoft built its MacBook Pro competitor theverge.com