Microsoft is adding unified memory dedicated control parameters to Windows 11 via build 29648.1000, released August 17. The hidden 'IntelligentCarveout' feature enables systems to manage unified memory in SoCs like NVIDIA's upcoming RTX Spark, AMD Ryzen Halo, and other APU-like chips. These processors integrate CPU and GPU into a single package connected to external LPDDR5X memory acting as a unified pool.

The feature provides specialized controls for configuring independent partitions of unified memory. Microsoft aims to realize up to 128 GB of unified memory on RTX Spark by improving how Windows supports unified memory systems with a new higher, smarter limit on total system memory accessible by the GPU.

This change increases GPU memory availability on high-memory systems, enabling larger local AI models, complex rendering, and demanding workloads. NVIDIA's RTX Spark combines a single GPU with up to 6,140 CUDA cores and a 20-core Arm CPU into a unified SoC connected directly to 128 GB of LPDDR5X memory. Windows 11 will offer developers greater control and give customers of systems like DGX Spark more control over memory partitioning.