Gergely Orosz · 12 min read · AI & Product
How will AI change operating systems? Part 2: Windows
Read the original on newsletter.pragmaticengineer.com →
Microsoft is overhauling Windows with AI-first features aimed at winning back developers who have largely migrated to macOS and Linux. Key initiatives include native agent identity support, MCP server registries, a new hardware abstraction layer (WindowsML) for local AI models, and improved Linux integration via WSL. The company is also addressing longstanding developer frustrations with the OS's usability.
Key Takeaways
- Windows is building native agentic primitives including agent identity/discovery support and a centralized registry for locally available MCP servers bundled with the OS
- WindowsML is a new hardware abstraction layer enabling local AI model execution across GPU, NPU, and CPU, with plans to ship Small Language Models (SLMs) without requiring an NPU
- Microsoft is doubling down on Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) as a counterintuitive strategy to attract developers away from native Linux and macOS
- Windows on ARM is being positioned as a viable alternative for the first time, with an upcoming NVIDIA collaboration signaling stronger hardware partnerships
- Microsoft is actively addressing developer frustrations—such as cluttered Start menus and poor search—in an effort to recapture developers who have abandoned the platform
Excerpt
AI is changing how us software engineers build software, and developers’ tool preferences are rapidly evolving with it – like how AI coding harnesses have gotten very popular. Likewise, future versions of the world’s leading operating systems look certain to feature more support for agentic tools. To find out how things are changing, we talked with the folks at tech giant Microsoft who shared in detail their plan for Windows, and how AI will play a part. It comes after the company’s previous AI efforts led to it being dubbed “Microslop” by some users online. The Windows team’s vision is…