Something to look forward to: Microsoft is holding a Windows and Surface event later today, where it's set to reveal more details about the Surface Laptop Ultra, powered by the Nvidia RTX Spark. Titled Something new is coming from Windows, you can watch the whole thing live right here at 10 am PT/1 pm EDT/6 pm BST.
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, Windows and Devices boss Pavan Davuluri, and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang will all be attending the event. Microsoft's latest teaser includes images of the Surface Laptop Ultra, and the Surface RTX Spark Dev Box could also make an appearance.
Nvidia unveiled RTX Spark in June. Its top configuration combines a 20-core Arm CPU developed with MediaTek, 6,144 CUDA cores, and up to 128GB of unified LPDDR5X memory. Nvidia claims one petaflop of FP4 AI performance and integrated graphics comparable to an RTX 5070 laptop GPU.
– Microsoft Surface (@surface) October 5, 2026
Perhaps more interesting is the promise of near-identical performance whether plugged in or running on battery. That would be a massive change compared to powerful gaming laptops, which take a serious performance hit when away from a power socket.
At IFA last month, Nvidia confirmed that the first RTX Spark laptops and desktops would arrive in October. It also detailed a lower-end laptop chip with an 18-core CPU and 5,120 CUDA cores. Dell, HP, Asus, MSI, Lenovo, and Acer are among the manufacturers backing the platform alongside Microsoft.
Spark also brings DLSS, ray tracing, and G-Sync to the SoC market, with publishers including EA, Ubisoft, and Microsoft pledging gaming support.
Microsoft has already confirmed that the Surface Laptop Ultra features a 15-inch mini-LED touchscreen with a 3:2 aspect ratio and up to 2,000 nits of peak HDR brightness. It measures less than 18mm thick and weighs under 4.5 pounds, with USB-A, USB-C, HDMI, a full-size SD card reader, and a user-serviceable SSD.
We still don't know the all-important prices. Reports claim that the entry-level 18-core model starts well above $2,000. Microsoft has yet to confirm that figure, though we'll likely get firm release dates and a better idea of how much these machines will cost later today.
On the Windows side, the publication anticipates demonstrations of locally running AI agents, alongside performance, reliability, and interface improvements.