&w=3840&q=100)
Microsoft Mu model brings on-device AI agent to Copilot+ PCs: How it works
For context, Microsoft added an AI-powered agent to the Settings app earlier this year, which lets users control their PCs using simple prompts like 'make my mouse pointer bigger' or 'how to control my PC by voice.' The agent can then guide users through solutions—or take the necessary actions automatically, with permission. This feature is currently available to Windows Insiders in the Dev Channel on Copilot+ PCs.
How Microsoft's Mu model works
Mu is a specially designed AI model that's small and efficient enough to run directly on a PC's NPU, instead of relying on cloud-based servers. Microsoft says this makes it faster and more private since your data doesn't leave the device.
The model is built using a technique called encoder–decoder architecture. In simpler terms, it first reads your input (like a question or command), understands its meaning, and then produces a response based on that understanding. Microsoft says this approach is more efficient than traditional models because it separates the task of understanding the input from generating the output—saving both memory and processing time.
Mu was also custom-built to take advantage of how NPUs work, using hardware-friendly tweaks and smart memory-saving tricks like 'weight sharing' to reduce its size without sacrificing performance. As a result, Mu is optimised to deliver quick, reliable results while using fewer resources.
Mu model's training process
Microsoft trained Mu using its Azure cloud platform and powerful NVIDIA A100 graphics processors. The training process involved exposing the model to hundreds of billions of text samples—mostly educational content—to help it understand grammar, language patterns, and general knowledge.
Mu builds on techniques from Microsoft's previous small models, like the Phi family. Although Mu is much smaller—about one-tenth the size of Phi-3.5-mini—it delivers similar performance thanks to better efficiency and training techniques.
To make sure Mu runs smoothly on a wide range of Copilot+ PCs, Microsoft also worked closely with chip makers like Qualcomm, Intel, and AMD. They used advanced techniques like model quantization, which shrinks the model further while preserving its abilities.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
United News of India
an hour ago
- United News of India
Microsoft introduces ‘Copilot 3D,' an advanced AI tool
New Delhi, Aug 9 (UNI) Microsoft introduced 'Copilot 3D', an advanced AI tool for providing the best user experience. Copilot 3D, an AI-enabled feature, lets users easily convert 2D images into 3D models. Further, users can leverage these models for multiple purposes, including game creation, animation, 3D printing, VR/AR, and so on. This model is part of Copilot Labs and is currently only available to Copilot users. Users just need to open the web version of Copilot to try this functionality. Microsoft also stressed 3D creation, accessibility, and intuitive functionalities of this tool for idea exploration, testing new concepts, and imaginative experimentation. Copilot 3D only supports PNG or JPG files under 10MB. This tool also marks the tech giant's significant attempts to dominate the virtual reality (VR) world, with attempts including Paint 3D and Remix3D Portal. UNI SAS GNK
Time of India
10 hours ago
- Time of India
Trump attack on Intel's CEO could compound factory struggles
Academy Empower your mind, elevate your skills At the end of July, Gov. Mike DeWine of Ohio said Intel 's chief executive was "very, very optimistic" about the company's plans to build multibillion-dollar semiconductor factories in his state. Last week, President Donald Trump attacked the tech executive, and a Republican senator called for an investigation into delays surrounding Intel's massive construction project outside demanded Thursday that Lip-Bu Tan, Intel's new CEO, resign over his past ties to Chinese companies, adding to the woes of a company that DeWine and other senior figures in Ohio's Republican Party had said would help create a manufacturing boom and turn the state into a "Silicon Heartland."To help build its Ohio factories, Intel received commitments worth roughly $1.5 billion in federal funding in recent years, as well as a $2 billion incentive package from the project has been badly delayed, and the chipmaker said this year that the factories would not be operational until at least company's challenges in Ohio highlight the risks that federal and state officials took when they financially backed Intel, a once-powerful force in chip manufacturing, an industry now dominated by the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing situation is also indicative of the struggles the Trump administration will face as it tries -- through the pressure of tariffs and threats from the White House -- to shift the bulk of semiconductor production to the United States from Asia. When the Biden administration offered financial incentives through the CHIPS Act, Intel was one of the few American companies that it made sense to whether by stick or carrot, forcing this transition could prove extraordinarily difficult, as the delays around the Ohio project demonstrate."It's pretty obvious that Intel has failed to meet the commitments it made to the people of Ohio," Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, wrote on social media Thursday. "Now we find out its new CEO is deeply conflicted with ties to the CCP," he said, referring to the Chinese Communist Party."The CEO must immediately resign, the project completed, and a fraud investigation should be initiated by Ohio," Moreno factories are extremely expensive and complicated to build. Intel has struggled to find enough customers to stay afloat as it poured money into construction. After posting an $18.8 billion loss in 2024 in its foundry division, the company ousted its CEO in December, cut 15,000 jobs and appeared to be exploring other strategies, including the possible sale of its manufacturing business to TSMC Asked for comment, a spokesperson for Intel referred to its most recent earnings report from July, in which the company said it was committed to completing the project in Ohio but had slowed construction to match customer Tierney, press secretary for DeWine, said Friday that the governor remained optimistic about the project."We expect chips to be made in that facility," Tierney said. He added that the company had already invested $7 billion in the construction project in Ohio, more than three times the amount of the state's incentive package, which involves some tax credits that have yet to be paid incentive package is tied to job creation by the end of 2028, so the earliest that the state would attempt to claw back any money is 2029, Tierney for the allegations against Tan, he said, DeWine is concerned about any allegation of involvement with the Chinese Communist Party that is detrimental to the national interest but is not rushing to judgment."We don't have all the facts, and we will need to see what facts come out," Tierney stakes are high for Intel and Ohio. Semiconductor chips, which are used in everything from cellphones to fighter jets, have recently become a particular focus for Trump, as they were for former President Joe Biden. Both presidents viewed domestic production as critical to national security, especially as more than 90% of the world's most advanced chips were produced in Taiwan, an island claimed by 2022, under Biden, Congress passed a bill with bipartisan support that aimed to remedy that vulnerability by pouring billions of dollars into subsidies for semiconductor companies to build facilities in the United States. Intel, the only American-owned maker of advanced logic chips, was awarded up to $7.9 billion to build factories in the United States. (Only about $2 billion of that has been disbursed.)Trump has criticized the subsidy approach, arguing that tariffs are a more effective tool to bring manufacturing back to the United States. He threatened last week to impose a 100% duty on many imported who took over Intel in March, has been hailed as a savior of the struggling American chipmaker. He is a longtime Silicon Valley investor who focused on semiconductor startups, even during eras when venture capital money seemed to be pouring into software and July 28, a company that Tan once ran pleaded guilty to transferring technology that was under U.S. export controls to Chinese entities. Though the plea agreement with the Justice Department did not name Tan, Sen. Tom Cotton , R-Ark., wrote to the chair of Intel's board of directors Tuesday, raising questions about what Tan may have known about the illicit a statement Thursday, Tan, an American citizen who was born in Malaysia, said that "misinformation" was circulating about his past roles and that he fully shared "the president's commitment to advancing U.S. national and economic security.""I have always operated within the highest legal and ethical standards," Tan said. He added that he was engaging with the administration "to address the matters that have been raised and ensure they have the facts."The questions surrounding Tan could create yet another hurdle in the attempt to bring the manufacturing of advanced semiconductors to Jon Husted , R-Ohio, was among the lawmakers who supported public funding for the Intel semiconductor factory. He posted a message on social media saying the company had promised to "respond promptly" to Cotton's letter."The facts have not changed: We need an American company to make American chips on American soil," Husted wrote. "Producing the world's most advanced high-tech chips in the U.S. is not just economic policy -- it's a national security imperative. Every day we are not doing that, we are putting our country at risk."Husted did not respond to a request for Sen. Bill DeMora, a Democrat representing Columbus, said Ohio Republicans were using Trump's attack on Tan to distract from the fact that they sank public money into a project that has who has long called the project a boondoggle, said in an interview Friday that Ohio Republicans "did all this hoopla and pageantry" to hype the Intel project. "Now they want the Intel president to step down because he has ties to China," he said. "That's their excuse."He said construction had continued with a fraction of the workers the company had promised to hire. He predicted that the site would never become a semiconductor factory."Intel is never going to make a chip there," he said.
Economic Times
10 hours ago
- Economic Times
Trump attack on Intel's CEO could compound factory struggles
NYT News Service FILE -- Utility infrastructure under construction in Johnstown, Ohio, to support a planned Intel chip manufacturing plant, Jan. 3, 2025. Intel's challenges in Ohio highlight both the risks that federal and state officials took in financially backing Intel, and the struggles the Trump administration will face in trying to shift more semiconductor production from Asia to the U.S. (Brian Kaiser/The New York Times) At the end of July, Gov. Mike DeWine of Ohio said Intel's chief executive was "very, very optimistic" about the company's plans to build multibillion-dollar semiconductor factories in his state. Last week, President Donald Trump attacked the tech executive, and a Republican senator called for an investigation into delays surrounding Intel's massive construction project outside Columbus. Trump demanded Thursday that Lip-Bu Tan, Intel's new CEO, resign over his past ties to Chinese companies, adding to the woes of a company that DeWine and other senior figures in Ohio's Republican Party had said would help create a manufacturing boom and turn the state into a "Silicon Heartland." To help build its Ohio factories, Intel received commitments worth roughly $1.5 billion in federal funding in recent years, as well as a $2 billion incentive package from the state. The project has been badly delayed, and the chipmaker said this year that the factories would not be operational until at least 2030. The company's challenges in Ohio highlight the risks that federal and state officials took when they financially backed Intel, a once-powerful force in chip manufacturing, an industry now dominated by the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Intel's situation is also indicative of the struggles the Trump administration will face as it tries -- through the pressure of tariffs and threats from the White House -- to shift the bulk of semiconductor production to the United States from Asia. When the Biden administration offered financial incentives through the CHIPS Act, Intel was one of the few American companies that it made sense to back. But whether by stick or carrot, forcing this transition could prove extraordinarily difficult, as the delays around the Ohio project demonstrate. "It's pretty obvious that Intel has failed to meet the commitments it made to the people of Ohio," Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, wrote on social media Thursday. "Now we find out its new CEO is deeply conflicted with ties to the CCP," he said, referring to the Chinese Communist Party. "The CEO must immediately resign, the project completed, and a fraud investigation should be initiated by Ohio," Moreno added. Semiconductor factories are extremely expensive and complicated to build. Intel has struggled to find enough customers to stay afloat as it poured money into construction. After posting an $18.8 billion loss in 2024 in its foundry division, the company ousted its CEO in December, cut 15,000 jobs and appeared to be exploring other strategies, including the possible sale of its manufacturing business to TSMC. Asked for comment, a spokesperson for Intel referred to its most recent earnings report from July, in which the company said it was committed to completing the project in Ohio but had slowed construction to match customer demand. Dan Tierney, press secretary for DeWine, said Friday that the governor remained optimistic about the project. "We expect chips to be made in that facility," Tierney said. He added that the company had already invested $7 billion in the construction project in Ohio, more than three times the amount of the state's incentive package, which involves some tax credits that have yet to be paid out. The incentive package is tied to job creation by the end of 2028, so the earliest that the state would attempt to claw back any money is 2029, Tierney said. As for the allegations against Tan, he said, DeWine is concerned about any allegation of involvement with the Chinese Communist Party that is detrimental to the national interest but is not rushing to judgment. "We don't have all the facts, and we will need to see what facts come out," Tierney said. The stakes are high for Intel and Ohio. Semiconductor chips, which are used in everything from cellphones to fighter jets, have recently become a particular focus for Trump, as they were for former President Joe Biden. Both presidents viewed domestic production as critical to national security, especially as more than 90% of the world's most advanced chips were produced in Taiwan, an island claimed by China. In 2022, under Biden, Congress passed a bill with bipartisan support that aimed to remedy that vulnerability by pouring billions of dollars into subsidies for semiconductor companies to build facilities in the United States. Intel, the only American-owned maker of advanced logic chips, was awarded up to $7.9 billion to build factories in the United States. (Only about $2 billion of that has been disbursed.) Trump has criticized the subsidy approach, arguing that tariffs are a more effective tool to bring manufacturing back to the United States. He threatened last week to impose a 100% duty on many imported chips. Tan, who took over Intel in March, has been hailed as a savior of the struggling American chipmaker. He is a longtime Silicon Valley investor who focused on semiconductor startups, even during eras when venture capital money seemed to be pouring into software and apps. On July 28, a company that Tan once ran pleaded guilty to transferring technology that was under U.S. export controls to Chinese entities. Though the plea agreement with the Justice Department did not name Tan, Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., wrote to the chair of Intel's board of directors Tuesday, raising questions about what Tan may have known about the illicit activity. In a statement Thursday, Tan, an American citizen who was born in Malaysia, said that "misinformation" was circulating about his past roles and that he fully shared "the president's commitment to advancing U.S. national and economic security." "I have always operated within the highest legal and ethical standards," Tan said. He added that he was engaging with the administration "to address the matters that have been raised and ensure they have the facts." The questions surrounding Tan could create yet another hurdle in the attempt to bring the manufacturing of advanced semiconductors to Ohio. Sen. Jon Husted, R-Ohio, was among the lawmakers who supported public funding for the Intel semiconductor factory. He posted a message on social media saying the company had promised to "respond promptly" to Cotton's letter. "The facts have not changed: We need an American company to make American chips on American soil," Husted wrote. "Producing the world's most advanced high-tech chips in the U.S. is not just economic policy -- it's a national security imperative. Every day we are not doing that, we are putting our country at risk." Husted did not respond to a request for comment. State Sen. Bill DeMora, a Democrat representing Columbus, said Ohio Republicans were using Trump's attack on Tan to distract from the fact that they sank public money into a project that has stalled. DeMora, who has long called the project a boondoggle, said in an interview Friday that Ohio Republicans "did all this hoopla and pageantry" to hype the Intel project. "Now they want the Intel president to step down because he has ties to China," he said. "That's their excuse." He said construction had continued with a fraction of the workers the company had promised to hire. He predicted that the site would never become a semiconductor factory. "Intel is never going to make a chip there," he said. Elevate your knowledge and leadership skills at a cost cheaper than your daily tea. BlackRock returns, this time with Ambani. Will it be lucky second time? The airport lounge war has begun — and DreamFolks is losing End of an era: The Maggi Man who rebuilt Nestlé India bows out India's last cement IPO did not work. Can JSW Cement break that curse? Is Shadowfax closing in on its closest rival? Stock Radar: APL Apollo Tubes stock fails to hold momentum after hitting highs in June; what should traders do? Buy, Sell or Hold: Avendus trims target on Titan Company; Motila Oswal maintains buy on Jindal Stainless These large- and mid-cap stocks may give more than 25% return in 1 year, according to analysts
