Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Windows 11 Tests Option To Reserve Unified Memory for Graphics and AI

If released, the setting would let users lock part of a merged system and GPU RAM to heavy workloads and could change how laptops with large unified pools run local AI models.

Overview

  • Multiple outlets reported on Monday that an experimental Windows 11 build and internal NVIDIA documents include references to a feature called IntelligentCarveout and a SettingsHandlers_UnifiedMemory.dll file.
  • The strings describe letting Windows reserve additional unified memory for graphics and AI workloads, meaning the reserved portion would be inaccessible to other apps and the OS.
  • Reporting links the discovery to NVIDIA’s upcoming RTX Spark systems, which can offer up to 128GB of unified memory, and notes the control would likely apply across unified-memory platforms not limited to one vendor.
  • Microsoft has not confirmed the feature and the items are in an internal build where wording and behavior can change or be dropped before any public release.
  • The change would formalize a capability some drivers already offer, as seen with AMD reserving large chunks of unified pools, and could affect performance, multitasking, and how users configure devices for local AI work.