Microsoft’s new Windows 11 requires at least 16GB of RAM

A new report from research firm TrendForce says that Microsoft has made 16GB the minimum system requirement for AI PCs.

Among the several new features Microsoft is pushing for Windows 11 23H2 natively is a boost to memory, and it has made 16GB the minimum memory capacity not only for native acceleration, but also for the cloud-based Copilot AI feature, which can't be used below that.

From the looks of it, Copilot is getting a lot of attention from Microsoft, which is looking to integrate AI chatbots capable of automating and generating work into mainstream PCs.

Microsoft is even pushing for a dedicated Copilot button on PC keyboards, like the Start button on the Start menu.

The company's biggest move on the Copilot front will be the launch of Copilot Pro in 2024, an AI assistant integrated with Office and 365 that it plans to sell separately on a subscription basis.

This will set 16GB as the baseline memory specification for laptops in 2024.

Commercial laptops, on the other hand, will scale up to 32GB or even 64GB of memory, depending on organizational requirements.This development bodes well for the DRAM industry in particular.