Microsoft is retiring the 'Copilot Plus PC' brand

Microsoft appears to be retiring the "Copilot Plus PC" brand, the label it introduced to designate Windows computers equipped with enough built-in AI processing power to run certain on-device artificial intelligence features.

According to reporting from Windows Central's Zac Bowden, Microsoft and Qualcomm seem to be acknowledging that the branding, introduced roughly two and a half years ago, has effectively fallen out of use.

The Copilot Plus PC designation was originally used to help consumers identify machines capable of running Microsoft's more advanced AI features locally, distinguishing them from PCs that relied more heavily on cloud-based processing. Its apparent retirement suggests a shift in how Microsoft plans to market AI capability in future PC hardware.

Details of what branding or marketing approach might replace "Copilot Plus PC," and the specific reasoning behind the change, were not included in the available source material. It was also not specified whether existing devices carrying the label would be affected in any way.

The development touches on the broader technology industry trend of marketing AI-capable hardware, an area where branding strategies among PC makers have shifted rapidly as on-device AI features have evolved.