Microsoft prepares mini Surface RTX Spark PC for local AI development
Microsoft is preparing a new mini Surface desktop based on NVIDIA RTX Spark. The system is called Surface RTX Spark Dev Box and it is aimed at developers working on local AI workloads.
According to The Verge, the device uses the same Arm-based RTX Spark platform as the recently announced Surface Laptop Ultra . Microsoft is tuning this small desktop for sustained workloads rather than thin laptop power limits.
Surface RTX Spark in desktop form
The Surface RTX Spark Dev Box uses an aluminum chassis that also works as a heatsink. The system reportedly has a 100W thermal envelope , which is above the 45W to 80W range listed for RTX Spark laptops.
Source: Microsoft
The mini PC also has 128GB of unified memory. The Verge reports that this allows the system to run up to 120-billion-parameter models locally. Microsoft has not shared the full specifications yet and pricing is still missing.
Microsoft says RTX Spark combines up to 6,144 Blackwell RTX CUDA cores and up to 20 Arm CPU cores. The platform is rated for up to 1 PFLOP of AI performance and is designed for Windows PCs running local AI, creator and developer workloads.
Source: Microsoft
The Dev Box will ship with Windows 11 Pro configured for developers. Microsoft is preloading tools such as Visual Studio Code and GitHub Copilot. The setup also enables Developer Mode, removes Widgets, enables Do Not Disturb and sets PowerShell 7 as the default shell, according to Andrew Hill, corporate vice president of Surface.
Source: Microsoft
This device also appears to fill the gap left by Qualcomm’s canceled Snapdragon Dev Kit. That system was supposed to help developers bring more software to Windows on Arm, but it was canceled before wide availability.
The Surface RTX Spark Dev Box will be available later this year in the US through Microsoft’s online store.
Source: Microsoft, The Verge
