Microsoft launches Nvidia RTX Spark AI PCs with new Windows 11 tools

Microsoft revealed pricing and specs for its new Nvidia RTX Spark-based PCs at an event in San Francisco during the city’s Tech Week on Wednesday, following Nvidia’s announcement back in June that it had secured agreements with Microsoft and other PC makers to build AI- and agent-ready Windows machines around the chip. The new Surface Laptop Ultra ships in two base configurations: one starting at $2,600, and a more powerful version starting at $3,700. Prices climb from there with options for more memory and storage, up to $5,900, and Microsoft said the highest-end configuration is already out of stock.

Microsoft also unveiled the Surface RTX Spark Dev Box, a workstation starting at $6,000 that comes equipped with developer tools including VS Code, GitHub Copilot CLI, WSL, and PowerShell 7. The pitch for both the laptop and the workstation is that they’re built to run AI models on-device, locally and for free, using their CPU, GPU, unified memory, and hardware changes such as superior cooling to handle the load. Microsoft says the machines are also capable of content creation, video processing, and gaming.

Both devices run a revamped version of Windows 11 that includes a new “Execution Containers” feature, which the company says makes it easier to sandbox AI agents. CEO Satya Nadella said at the event that the feature will be available to all Windows 11 users. “One of the things we realized in the last 3-4 years is that just having a model doesn’t do much for anything. You really do need to orchestrate, and you need to have memory outside of the model. You need to have this harnessed layer that is able to take multiple models plus context, plus memory, and the action space,” Nadella explained. He added that Microsoft wants that layer available not just inside its own apps, but for any developer building an AI agent, calling it central to where the Windows platform is headed.

The devices are squarely aimed at developers: Microsoft is offering up to $1,000 off to buyers who trade in a MacBook Pro, pointing to the Mac’s popularity among developers and AI agent enthusiasts, particularly in Silicon Valley. Microsoft wasn’t the only PC maker revealing RTX Spark hardware that day — Dell also detailed its previously announced Dell XPS 16 Creator Edition PC, now available for preorder at Best Buy for $3,800 ahead of a delivery later in October.

Why it matters

Windows is betting its next PC upgrade cycle on sandboxed, on-device AI agents rather than cloud-only models, and the developer-focused pricing and Mac trade-in offer show Microsoft moving aggressively to pull share from Apple’s laptop base.