If you own an “AI PC” from Intel or AMD, that means you have a neural processing unit (NPU) built in alongside your typical CPU and graphics cores. And if you didn’t know, it seems that, at least for Intel NPUs, you have yet another driver to update regularly. Even if you don’t care about Windows’ AI PC features, these driver updates include security patches in addition to fixing issues or adding features, so it’s probably a good idea to be diligent with these updates.
If you are using an Intel NPU on a Windows 10 PC rather than a Windows 11 PC, Intel also recommends that you completely disable the NPU in the BIOS rather than leaving it or its drivers enabled. What happens if you don’t do it doing this is unclear (probably nothing in most situations), but leaving a potentially unusable NPU enabled could serve as an attack vector or contribute to system instability.
Anyway, the latest Intel NPU driver was released on October 11th. Intel NPU driver version 32.0.100.3053 adds support for OpenVINO 2024.4 and Arrow Lake processors. These are minor changes but expected before the full launch of Arrow Lake processors It’s scheduled for October 24. We will then have a full review of some processors, where we will have independent tests of the next generation Intel desktop processors, the new socket and the new architecture.
Arrow Lake and its Intel Core Ultra design should completely remove the hardware issues that infamously affected Intel’s 13th and 14th generation “Raptor Lake” processorsso at least we have that to look forward to. Of course, given that this is a brand new platform and architecture, other issues are likely to arise over time.
But back to the NPU drivers. Fixed issues include improvements to Microsoft Copilot performance and accuracy, as well as alignment of the “UD40 driver version number”. There are also fixes specifically for the Lenovo View Video Amplifier, a Krisp model loading issue, and enabling and optimizing face/eye tracking and 2D/3D conversion features. Lenovo View Video Enhancer, for those unfamiliar with it, is a component of the Lenovo View device driver (for Lenovo devices, but especially AI PC-enabled ThinkPads) that provides better video calling features, including tweaks quality, background hiding and even small health warnings.
Intel has already established a regular cadence for NPU driver updates, looking at the version history. There is basically a new driver revision every month, sometimes allowing new devices (like the Keem Bay Video Processing Unit), most often by simply fixing a few bugs. But we expect NPU driver updates from Intel’s competitors to be just as big in the coming years, especially if the AI PC and Copilot+ features really take off.
