Thin Windows laptops now run powerful AI programs on the device itself

Laptops that can run serious AI programs on their own hardware are now on sale in thin, light designs. NVIDIA says RTX Spark laptops are available from ASUS, Dell, HP, Lenovo, Microsoft and MSI. They are as thin as 14mm and as light as three pounds, with all-day battery life, according to the company.

What is inside

RTX Spark is a single chip that combines a graphics processor and a main processor. It supports up to 128GB of shared memory. Creative projects and AI models draw from the same pool. NVIDIA says this lets a slim laptop handle work that usually needs a bulkier machine. The company claims up to 1 petaflop of AI performance, a measure of how fast it handles AI math.

Designs vary. Options include different screen sizes, colors, touchscreens, pen support and two-in-one convertibles. NVIDIA's material does not list prices or specific models.

New AI tools for the laptops

NVIDIA also announced software aimed at running AI locally.

• Nemotron 3.5 Transcribe is a free-to-download speech model that transcribes 40 languages, labels speakers and translates.
• It can also answer questions about a recording, such as a meeting.
• Liquid AI's LFM3 is a family of compact models for tasks like sorting email, managing calendars and reading documents.
• A new NVIDIA App setting lets users decide whether a foreground app or a background AI agent gets more graphics power.

The transcription model is available now on Hugging Face, a site where AI models are shared. Versions made to run locally on RTX Spark are described as coming soon. Because the model's weights are open, developers can choose where audio is processed, from a desktop to the cloud.

Games and modding

Gaming gets attention too. Phantom Blade Zero launches tonight, Oct. 28, at 7 p.m. PT on Steam and the Epic Games Store, with ray-traced lighting and reflections on RTX Spark laptops. NVIDIA also released version 1.6 of RTX Remix, a tool for remastering classic games. It now works with Minecraft Java Edition 1.21.1. Portal with RTX and the Half-Life 2 RTX demo now support RTX Spark.

Why it matters

Running AI on the device can keep private work, such as recorded meetings, off someone else's servers. That depends on the software you choose and how it is set up. Shoppers can now find thin laptops built for this. The local version of the transcription model is not yet released, and the material gives no pricing.