Microsoft is making Windows ML available to boost AI use in its apps.
Microsoft has made its Windows ML platform generally available for production, enabling developers to easily build AI functionality into Windows apps. The platform runs on all devices with Windows 11 24H2 or newer and is designed to make applications faster, more secure, and more cost-efficient.
AI Closer to the Hardware
“Our platform acts like a kind of hardware abstraction layer,” according to the announcement blog. “Silicon partners build and maintain execution providers that Windows ML automatically distributes and registers. This allows an app to tap into the most suitable part of the PC: GPUs for heavy compute, NPUs for energy-efficient tasks, and CPUs for flexibility.” According to Microsoft, this ensures AI tasks run optimally without developers having to write separate code.
From Experiment to Production
The platform was announced back in 2018 for Windows 10, writes The Verge. Only now is it fully ready for broad deployment. Well-known companies like Adobe, McAfee, and Topaz Labs are among the first testers to enhance their products with Windows ML.
Adobe Premiere Pro and After Effects are getting features like semantic search, automatic audio tagging, and scene-change detection via local NPUs. McAfee uses Windows ML to detect deepfakes and scams on social networks. Topaz Labs built AI features into its photo editing software that accelerate image recognition and enhancement.
Strategic Importance
By integrating AI so directly into Windows apps, Microsoft wants to make its operating system more attractive to both developers and consumers. Local processing provides greater privacy and less dependence on the cloud—key advantages at a time when AI increasingly analyzes sensitive data.
With the official launch of Windows ML, Microsoft hopes to spur AI-driven apps on its platform and gain an edge in the AI PC market.