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NVIDIA and Microsoft Launch RTX Spark Platform for Personal AI and Gaming; Surface Laptop Ultra and Dev Box Unveiled

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NVIDIA and Microsoft Unveil RTX Spark: A New Class of AI-Ready Windows PCs

A new era of Windows computing begins. NVIDIA and Microsoft have announced a revolutionary class of Windows PCs powered by the RTX Spark superchip, designed to run personal AI agents, support creative workflows, and deliver high-end gaming performance.

The announcements were made at Computex 2025 and GTC Taipei. The RTX Spark platform combines an Arm-based CPU with a Blackwell GPU, developed in collaboration with MediaTek. Multiple manufacturers plan to release laptops and desktops using the new chip starting in fall 2025. Microsoft also introduced two flagship devices: the Surface Laptop Ultra and the Surface RTX Spark Dev Box.

Hardware Specifications

The RTX Spark "superchip" is a technological powerhouse:

  • GPU: NVIDIA Blackwell RTX with 6,144 CUDA cores and fifth-generation Tensor Cores with FP4 precision
  • CPU: 20-core Arm-based Grace CPU, connected via NVLink-C2C
  • Memory: Up to 128GB of unified LPDDR5X memory
  • Performance: Delivers up to 1 petaflop of AI compute and graphics comparable to a laptop GeForce RTX 5070 GPU
  • Manufacturing: Built on a 3nm process at TSMC in partnership with MediaTek

Device Lineup

Surface Laptop Ultra

Microsoft's flagship 15-inch clamshell laptop powered by the RTX Spark SoC features:

  • Display: 15-inch Mini-LED PixelSense Ultra touchscreen, 3:2 aspect ratio, 262 PPI, 120Hz refresh rate, VRR, and up to 2,000 nits peak HDR brightness
  • Memory: Up to 128GB unified memory (soldered, not user-upgradable)
  • Storage: User-swappable Type-2280 M.2 SSD
  • Ports: Two USB-C, one USB-A, one full-size HDMI, one full-size SD card reader, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. No Surface Connect magnetic charging port.
  • Cooling: Dual fans and dual heat pipes with a raised chassis for airflow
  • Weight: Under 4.5 pounds (2.04 kg), all-metal chassis
  • Colors: Platinum and Nightfall
  • Other features: Microsoft's largest haptic trackpad for a Surface device, familiar Surface Laptop keyboard, Windows Hello-compatible webcam

Pricing has not been announced. The Surface Laptop Ultra is scheduled for release in fall 2025.

Surface RTX Spark Dev Box

A mini desktop computer designed for software developers:

  • Powered by the same RTX Spark chip with up to 128GB unified memory
  • 100W sustained thermal envelope
  • Aluminum chassis with 1,000 air vents that functions as a heatsink
  • Rear ports: Two USB-C, one USB-A, HDMI, Ethernet, and a headphone jack
  • Ships with Windows 11 Pro
  • Designed for local AI model development and fine-tuning

Available exclusively through Microsoft.com in the US later in 2025. Pricing has not been announced.

Partner Devices

ASUS announced the ProArt P16 and P14 laptops featuring the RTX Spark superchip, targeting creators and AI developers.

Other manufacturers planning to release RTX Spark laptops and compact desktops include Acer, Dell, GIGABYTE, HP, Lenovo, MSI, and Microsoft Surface. Systems are expected in fall 2025. Pricing and full specifications for partner devices have not been released.

Performance Claims

NVIDIA states the RTX Spark platform can handle the following workloads:

  • Render 3D scenes larger than 90GB
  • Edit 12K 4:2:2 video
  • Generate 4K AI video
  • Run 120-billion-parameter LLMs with a context window of up to 1 million tokens
  • Play AAA games at 1440p at over 100 frames per second
  • Support DLSS 4.5 Ray Reconstruction and RTX Video with 4x Frame Generation

Software and Ecosystem

AI Agents and Security

NVIDIA and Microsoft are collaborating to enable on-device AI agents on Windows. New Windows security primitives and NVIDIA's OpenShell runtime provide identity, containment, policy, and privacy controls. The system can sandbox agents with system-level policy enforcement outside the agent's reach.

Application Support

Adobe is re-architecting Photoshop and Premiere Pro for the RTX Spark platform, claiming up to 2x faster AI and graphics performance. More than 100 software providers and game developers, including Adobe, Blender, CapCut, ComfyUI, Riot Games, and Xbox, are supporting the platform.

Operating System

RTX Spark devices run Windows 11. Microsoft has made changes to support agentic AI with kernel-level execution, improved memory management for unified RAM, and a refined Prism emulation layer for x86 applications developed with NVIDIA's involvement.

DGX Station for Windows

NVIDIA also announced the DGX Station for Windows, a deskside AI workstation for enterprise users:

  • Powered by the NVIDIA GB300 Grace Blackwell Ultra Desktop Superchip
  • 72-core Grace CPU and a Blackwell Ultra GPU
  • Supports up to 748GB of coherent memory and up to 20 petaflops of FP4 performance
  • Can optionally be paired with an NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Workstation GPU
  • Includes an NVIDIA ConnectX-8 SuperNIC for networking up to 800 Gb/s
  • Designed for running AI models with up to 1 trillion parameters locally

Available from ASUS, Dell Technologies, GIGABYTE, HP, MSI, and Supermicro in Q4 2025. Pricing has not been announced, though analysts estimate costs ranging from under $200,000 to hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Market Context

NVIDIA's entry into the consumer Arm PC market places it in direct competition with Apple's Arm-based Macs and Qualcomm's Snapdragon processors.

The company previously attempted an Arm-based Windows device with Microsoft in 2013. Analysts view the move as a long-term growth opportunity, noting it may take time to generate significant revenue.

Following the announcement, NVIDIA's stock rose approximately 2-4% in trading, while shares of Intel and AMD declined. MediaTek and Arm Holdings shares also rose.