Back in June, Nvidia said it had signed deals with Microsoft and several other PC manufacturers to build AI‑ and agent‑ready Windows machines based on its RTX Spark chip. At the time, details about the hardware were scarce.
On Wednesday, during San Francisco’s Tech Week, Microsoft disclosed the specifications and pricing for its new Surface Laptop Ultra. The device is offered in two base configurations: one starting at $2,600 and a more powerful version that begins at $3,700. Prices can climb up to $5,900 when users add extra memory and storage, though Microsoft notes the top‑tier model is already sold out.
The company also introduced a workstation built around the RTX Spark chip: the Surface RTX Spark Dev Box. It is priced from $6,000 and ships with Microsoft’s development tools, such as VS Code, GitHub Copilot CLI, WSL, and PowerShell 7.
Both the laptop and the workstation are engineered to run AI models locally and for free, leveraging the CPU, GPU, unified memory, and hardware tweaks like enhanced cooling. They run a refreshed version of Windows 11 that includes an “Execution Containers” feature, which Microsoft says makes it easier to sandbox AI agents. CEO Satya Nadella announced that this capability will be available to all Windows 11 users.
Nadella explained that over the past few years the industry has learned that simply having a model is not enough; you need orchestration, memory outside the model, and a harness layer that can combine multiple models with context, memory, and an action space.
He added that Microsoft is making this possible not only for its own applications but for any developer’s agent, positioning Windows as the platform for the future.
The devices are clearly aimed at developers, so much so that Microsoft is offering a trade‑in discount of up to $1,000 for customers who give up a MacBook Pro, recognizing that Macs have become a popular choice among developers and AI enthusiasts, especially in Silicon Valley. Despite their focus on AI, the Surface PCs also promise strong performance for content creation, video processing, and gaming.
Dell joined the wave of announcements on Wednesday, revealing details about its own Nvidia‑RTX Spark AI Windows PC, the Dell XPS 16 Creator Edition. The machine is now available for preorder with a planned October delivery through Best Buy, starting at $3,800.