At its Build conference in May, Microsoft debuted Project Volterra, a device powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon platform designed to let developers explore "AI scenarios" via Qualcomm's Neural Processing SDK for Windows toolkit. Today, Volterra -- now called Windows Dev Kit 2023 -- officially goes on sale, priced at $599 and available from the Microsoft Store in Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Japan, the U.K. and the U.S. Here's how Microsoft describes it: With Windows Dev Kit 2023, developers will be able to bring their entire app development process onto one compact device, giving them everything they need to build Windows apps for Arm, on Arm. As previously announced, the Windows Dev Kit 2023 contains a dedicated AI processor, called the Hexagon processor, complimented by an Arm-based chip -- the Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3 -- both supplied by Qualcomm. It enables developers to build Arm-native and AI-powered apps alongside and with tools such as Visual Studio (version 17.4 runs natively on Arm), .NET 7 (which has Arm-specific performance improvements), VSCode, Microsoft Office and Teams and machine learning frameworks including PyTorch and TensorFlow. Microsoft's Windows Dev Kit 2023, which packs an Arm processor plus an AI accelerator chip. The Windows Dev Kit 2023 arrives alongside support in Windows for neural processing units (NPU), or dedicated chips tailored for AI- and machine learning-specific workloads.

Unlike Apple's M1 MacBooks, ARM-based Windows on Snapdragon laptops haven't enjoyed quite the same level of success or popularity. But Lenovo is hoping to change that – at least for enterprise customers – with the new ThinkPad X13s. The ThinkPad X13s' secret weapon is its Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3 chip, which Lenovo says is the first time Qualcomm's newest laptop processor has been featured in a commercial device. By leveraging improved energy efficiency and a low-power 400-nit 13.3-inch display, Lenovo says the ThinkPad X13s can last up to 28 hours on a single charge. That said, I'm going to want to confirm this myself, because I've definitely been burned by shorter-than-expected longevity on previous Windows on Snapdragon machines.

On Wednesday, Qualcomm launched the Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3 processor platform for PCs, claiming that the chip will offer up to 85 percent more performance than the prior generation. That's good, given that the pandemic severely undercut the value proposition of Snapdragon-powered PCs--long battery life and always-on mobile connectivity--as office work life moved to the home office desk and couch. Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8cx Gen 2 arrived this past spring at about the performance of the original Microsoft Surface Laptop, though with substantially higher graphics chops. Qualcomm's aggressive performance predictions about the Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3 are based on its new process shrink--from 7nm in the Gen 2 to a new, aggressive 5nm node in Gen 3. In all, Qualcomm believes that the chip will offer 85 percent more CPU performance than the prior generation, and 60 percent additional GPU performance. "We focused on really driving these features and capabilities in the mainstream PC segment," said Miguel Nunes, vice president of product management for Qualcomm, in a briefing with reporters.

Here's a sign that the troubled Windows on Snapdragon platform isn't going away anytime soon: Qualcomm is announcing today its new made-for-PC processor based on ARM design. The Snapdragon 8cx Gen 2 follows up 2018's Snapdragon 8cx, and back then the company said the "x" in the name stood for "extreme" power. This year's model offers better AI performance and support for newer standards of WiFi and Bluetooth, but doesn't appear to run any faster than before. Acer and HP both also announced today that they'll be offering laptops with the new chipset, with Acer's Spin 7 being the first to use it. HP's product will be a business-centric notebook, and the company said more information will be shared later this year.