Microsoft launches 15‑inch Surface Laptop Ultra with up to 128 GB memory and 1 PFLOP AI power

Pre‑orders have opened for Microsoft’s new 15‑inch Surface Laptop Ultra, a high‑performance machine built around Nvidia’s RTX Spark Superchip and marketed for developers, creators and AI‑heavy professionals. The device was unveiled at the Windows and Surface event in San Francisco on October 7 2026 and will start shipping on October 16. The entry model sells for $2,599 (≈ ₹2.3 lakh) and ships with an 18‑core CPU, a 5,120‑core GPU, 24 GB of RAM and a 512 GB SSD. A 32 GB‑RAM, 1 TB‑SSD version is priced at $3,299. Higher‑end configurations use a 20‑core CPU; they start at $3,599 for 32 GB RAM and rise to $3,999 for 48 GB, $4,299 for 64 GB and $5,899 for the maxed‑out 128 GB model, which CNET reported as out of stock on the day of the announcement. Microsoft says the laptop’s unified memory can be expanded to 128 GB and that it can run AI models with more than 120 billion parameters locally, delivering up to 1 petaflop of AI performance. The 15‑inch PixelSense Ultra screen is billed as the brightest Microsoft has ever put in a laptop, and the chassis is under 18 mm thick, weighs under 4.5 lb, and includes a 30 % larger haptic touchpad. Connectivity features a magnetic “Magnetic Connect” charging port, two extra USB‑C ports, HDMI, USB‑A, SD card reader, 3.5 mm jack and support for up to three external 4K displays. Microsoft also opened pre‑orders for the Surface RTX Spark Dev Box, aimed at AI engineers, starting at $5,999 and offering the same 1 petaflop AI capability. To encourage upgrades, the company will give up to $1,000 cash back for eligible MacBook Pro trade‑ins.

Context

The laptop reflects Microsoft’s push to bring cloud‑grade AI compute to the desktop, allowing users to run large language models locally without relying on expensive online services. This follows a broader industry trend of integrating powerful GPUs and unified memory into consumer‑grade laptops.