Microsoft aims to entirely transition Windows to the cloud

A new Microsoft internal presentation reveals the company’s long-term goal for Windows.

Microsoft aims to migrate Windows to the cloud for consumers in the same way that it has been doing for businesses with Windows 365. In a June 2022 internal Microsoft "state of the business" presentation, Microsoft talks of enhancing "Windows 365 to enable a full Windows operating system streamed from the cloud to any device."

The presentation, which covers Microsoft's entire gaming strategy and how it ties to other areas of the company's businesses, has been made public as part of the ongoing FTC v. Microsoft hearing. In Microsoft's "Modern Life" consumer sector, moving "Windows 11 increasingly to the cloud" is cited as a long-term opportunity, along with harnessing "the power of the cloud and client to enable improved AI-powered services and full roaming of people's digital experience."

 Image: Microsoft

A full version of Windows is streamed to devices via the Windows 365 service. Although it has only been available to businesses thus far, Microsoft has already fully integrated it into Windows 11. Windows 365 Boot, which enables Windows 11 devices to connect in straight to a Cloud PC instance at boot instead of the local version of Windows, will be included in a future update. In order to incorporate Cloud PCs into the Task View (virtual desktops) feature, Windows 365 Switch is also integrated into Windows 11.

The idea of moving Windows fully to the cloud for consumers is also presented alongside Microsoft’s need to invest in custom silicon partnerships. Microsoft has been doing some of this for its ARM-powered Surface Pro X devices. Bloomberg also reported in late 2020 that Microsoft was looking at designing its own ARM-based processors for servers and maybe even Surface devices. More recently we’ve heard Microsoft could be working on its own AI chips, too.

 

Image: Microsoft

Microsoft highlights the need to "shore up Windows commercial value and respond to Chromebook threat" for its "Modern Work" priority in the financial year 2022 in another slide in the presentation. Long-term economic potential include expanding the use of cloud PCs with Windows 365.

Microsoft has recently announced Windows Copilot, an AI-powered assistant for Windows 11. Windows Copilot sits at the side of Windows 11, and can summarize content you’re viewing in apps, rewrite it, or even explain it. Microsoft is currently testing this internally and promised to release it to testers in June before rolling it out more broadly to Windows 11 users.

As part of a larger AI drive for Windows, there is Windows Copilot. Additionally, Microsoft is collaborating with AMD and Intel to make additional Windows features available on next-generation CPUs. In recent months, Intel and Microsoft have even made references to Windows 12. At CES earlier this year, Windows head Panos Panay asserted that "AI is going to reinvent how you do everything on Windows." All of this is a part of Microsoft's overarching Windows vision, which is described in its internal presentation as being "to enable improved AI-powered services" in Windows.