The next, AI-focused version of Windows is Windows 11 24H2 — not Windows 12

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Staying on Windows 11 will keep the Windows userbase more unified.

Microsoft teases Windows 11's launch date
(Image credit: Microsoft)

Rumors about Windows 12 have been circulating for some time with some rumors pointing toward a 2H 2024 release for the new OS. However, Microsoft confirmed in a Windows Insider blog post that Windows 11 24H2 will be the next major feature update to arrive in 2024, all but shutting down rumors of a potential Windows 12 release in the back half of 2024.

Microsoft never officially said Windows 12 was coming nor announced its existence in any way, but, there has been enough evidence to warrant speculation of a potential "Windows 12" release in 2024. Even the CEO of Qualcomm speculated that Windows 12 could be coming this year.

Microsoft's roadmap for 2024 pointed toward massive updates to Windows 11 including big pushes to get AI integrated throughout the entire OS, inciting speculation that Microsoft might package all these new features into a new version of Windows, rather than carry it on into Windows 11.

This logic comes from Microsoft's previous history with Windows 11, where it hid Windows 11's existence inside of Windows 10 right up until its launch. (Many core parts of it also came from the shelved Windows 10X). Windows 11 was originally classified as a Windows 10 feature update dubbed "Sun Valley", before being unveiled as Windows 11 in late 2021.

But now we know for a fact this will not be the case. Microsoft's latest Windows Insider blog post cites that all builds starting with the number 26 in the Canary and Dev Channels will now be identified as Windows 11 version 24H2. 4.

This doesn't change any of Microsoft's plans for 2024, all the features speculated to arrive in Windows 12 will be released under Windows 11's future 24H2 patch. 24H2 is expected to be a huge patch that will integrate AI throughout the entire OS, taking advantage of the new hardware-accelerated Neural Processing Units (or NPUs) found in all of the new "AI PCs" that were announced earlier this year.

24H2 will also be the only major feature update for Windows 11 for the entirety of 2024. Microsoft has decided to go back to an annual release cycle for Windows feature updates instead of releasing a major feature update every few months. That said, Windows 11 will still be supported with smaller feature drops known as "Moment" updates.

It's probably a good idea that Microsoft didn't go through with Windows 12 anyway. Windows 11 is still struggling to gain adoption and is still not as popular as Windows 10. Adding a third OS into the mix would fragment the Windows user base even more. Microsoft could still launch Windows 12 in the future, but it probably won't be this year.

Aaron Klotz
Aaron Klotz
Contributing Writer

Aaron Klotz is a contributing writer for Tom’s Hardware, covering news related to computer hardware such as CPUs, and graphics cards.

15 Comments Comment from the forums
  • USAFRet
    Admin said:
    Microsoft has subtly confirmed that Windows 12 will not be coming out this year.
    Good.
    Slightly less freakouts from the uninformed.
    Reply
  • hannibal
    Does this AI upgrade needs any special hardware to work?
    I supose that it does, but is there any confirmation?
    Reply
  • ngaio
    hannibal said:
    Does this AI upgrade needs any special hardware to work?
    I supose that it does, but is there any confirmation?
    To my best knowledge, no. NPUs make a lot of sense on laptops, where they can maximise battery life. On a desktop with a GPU that can run AI code quickly, it's much less of an issue. However, that only raises the question of how energy-efficient (or deficient) a GPU is compared to an NPU. That I have no idea. It may not matter to an individual desktop owner, but when there are many millions of these machines, it makes a difference at scale.
    Reply
  • peachpuff
    hannibal said:
    Does this AI upgrade needs any special hardware to work?
    I supose that it does, but is there any confirmation?
    Don't worry ai clippy will work on any hardware.
    Reply
  • emike09
    This is great news, all for the reasons specified. Our business of 900 workstations just barely started moving to Windows 11, either via re-imaging during employee circulation or new hardware purchases. Most are okay with it, some hate it because things changed. Windows 12 should come out 2026 or even later.
    Reply
  • vanadiel007
    So would this lead to AI botnets due to security vulnerabilities with the AI portion of the OS?
    I can see this going south fast...
    Reply
  • Alvar "Miles" Udell
    Followed shortly after by a flood of articles along the lines of "Don't want to pay for Microsoft advanced AI features? Here's how to remove them." Hopefully, Microsoft will have an easy "Off" button, but if not, they should be easier to remove than the "free for now, soon to be paid" unremovable AI features of phones.
    Reply
  • ThomasKinsley
    If MS wants to unify Windows, then reducing the requirements would be the best step. Right now Windows 11 is at only 28% of the Windows market, with Window 10 having over 65%.
    Reply
  • ezst036
    This is a smart move on Microsoft's part.
    Reply
  • Colif
    hannibal said:
    Does this AI upgrade needs any special hardware to work?
    I supose that it does, but is there any confirmation?
    Doubtful, the number of CPU with AI cores available now is limited. Expect the added features only work on the few laptops sold with the right cores this year.

    It is really highly unlikely Microsoft would release a new version of win 11 that only works on some PC. No... that doesn't make sense. Yes, a new versions of windows can do that but not a new version of a previously released OS.
    Reply