With its new leadership in place, Microsoft is working on a new roadmap that will help shape the company's new Windows & Web Experiences team, which is at the forefront of developing the next major Windows client update, currently code-named Hudson Valley. It is out in the open that Microsoft is planning a major Windows release for 2024, code-named Germanium, which is what Hudson Valley will be based on.
As per Windows Central, the new top executives are returning to the company's annual release cycle for major versions of the Windows OS. This means Windows users will receive one big update in a year instead of multiple small updates. While smaller updates will continue going forward, they won't be carrying any new features with them in the future. This change is expected to come into effect after Hudson Valley's launch in 2024.
On the other hand, Hudson Valley is itself expected to launch alongside the Germanium platform, whose estimated time of rollout is in April. However, it is reported that Hudson Valley won't be finalized until August and will not be available for existing PCs until September or October 2024. So for now, Microsoft will ship a new version of Windows OS before the big Windows client update is ready.
Microsoft could launch its AI-powered Windows platform as a new version altogether
The main factor about Hudson Valley that is making it so popular already is the next-gen AI features that will be integrated throughout the OS. Microsoft will add AI-powered Windows Shell, which will be paired with an ‘advanced copilot' that will run in the background to enhance user search. Sources say that the AI features in the upcoming Windows update will be ‘groundbreaking'.
Microsoft is working on a new history/timeline feature that will allow users to go back in time through apps and websites that Copilot has remembered. You can then filter it based on your specific search criteria. AI will also enhance Windows search and use natural language to find things that you have previously opened or seen.
Other AI features that will be a part of Hudson Valley are Super Resolution, which will use NPU hardware to upscale the quality of videos and games; enhanced Live Captions, allowing you to translate a large number of languages in real-time; AI-powered wallpapers; and more. One big question that remains unanswered is whether the Hudson Valley will be a new version of Windows 11 based on the Germanium platform or a totally new OS, i.e., Windows 12.
