Microsoft and Nvidia unveil Surface Laptop Ultra at San Francisco event

The launch was billed as a joint appearance by Microsoft chief executive Satya Nadella and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang in San Francisco. Ahead of the October 7 event, The Next Web identified the Surface Laptop Ultra as the first Surface built around Nvidia's RTX Spark chip.

The partnership gives Microsoft's own laptop line a new role in its AI push. Axios described the announcement as Microsoft's latest effort to tie Windows more closely to the AI boom and establish a place in the high-end laptop market.

At the October 7 event, Microsoft and Nvidia showed off the Surface Laptop Ultra alongside the RTX Spark chip, according to Tom's Hardware. The hardware was the centrepiece of a keynote focused on Windows and Surface in San Francisco, The Verge reported.

The presentation also included new Windows 11 features that use the system-on-a-chip's capabilities, according to Tom's Hardware. That makes this more than a Surface hardware announcement: Microsoft presented software changes alongside the Nvidia-powered device.

Pricing placed the laptop firmly at the expensive end of the market. CNBC International reported that Microsoft will sell the Surface Laptop Ultra for $2,599. Gizmodo Tech reported that the base configuration includes 24GB of RAM.

The Surface Laptop Ultra has been unveiled, with its Nvidia chip, selling price and base memory configuration reported. Axios framed it as an attempt to reboot the AI PC through a new class of Nvidia-powered Windows laptops.

The announcement also signals that Microsoft remains committed to making its own PCs, despite not being among the top device makers, according to CNBC International. The supplied coverage does not establish a purchase date or provide independent performance results, so the launch alone does not show how the laptop performs in everyday use.