Nvidia's RTX Spark Chip Powers the First Wave of AI-Focused Laptops and Mini PCs
New machines from Lenovo, Acer, Asus and others promise enough power to run AI entirely on your own hardware, no internet connection required. Prices will be steep.
Key points
- Lenovo unveiled the Yoga 9n 2-in-1, a 16-inch laptop built around Nvidia's RTX Spark chip, at the IFA 2026 tech show in Berlin.
- The RTX Spark chip combines a CPU and GPU into one package, similar to the approach Apple uses in its Mac computers.
- The Yoga 9n 2-in-1 tops out at 64 GB of memory; the related Yoga Pro 9n reaches 128 GB.
- Mini desktop PCs from Acer and Asus also use the RTX Spark chip and offer up to 128 GB of memory at roughly Mac Mini dimensions.
- Lenovo's AMD-powered ThinkCentre X Ultra starts at $3,699, giving the clearest price signal for this class of machine.
For the first time, you can walk up to a laptop and feel what Nvidia's new RTX Spark chip actually means in practice. The IFA 2026 tech show in Berlin gave journalists hands-on time with the Lenovo Yoga 9n 2-in-1, first reported by Wired AI, and the picture that emerged is of a machine chasing Apple's MacBook Pro on almost every front.
The Yoga 9n is a 16-inch, 0.69-inch-thin laptop with a 360-degree hinge, a sharp OLED touchscreen, a six-speaker sound system and a 9.2-megapixel webcam. Apple's 16-inch MacBook Pro is 0.66 inches thick. The gap is now almost invisible.
What makes this chip different?
The RTX Spark is a system-on-a-chip, meaning the processor, graphics unit and memory all sit on a single piece of silicon rather than as separate components on a circuit board. Apple does the same thing with its M-series chips, and it is a big part of why MacBooks run cool and last long on a charge.
Nvidia's version pairs a Grace CPU, with up to 20 cores, alongside a Blackwell RTX GPU with up to 6,144 graphics cores. For context, that GPU core count puts it between a standalone RTX 5070 Ti and RTX 5080, the kinds of chips you currently find in high-end gaming laptops sold separately. Getting that power into a thin, quiet machine without a bulky dedicated graphics card is the engineering trick here.
The Yoga Pro 9n, a 15-inch sibling not yet on show in Berlin, trims thickness to 0.66 inches at its slimmest point and offers configurations up to 128 GB of RAM, where RAM means the fast working memory a computer uses to juggle tasks. The larger 2-in-1 model caps at 64 GB.
Why does memory matter so much for AI?
AI models, the software that powers chatbots and image generators, are enormous files. Running one locally, meaning on your own machine rather than a distant server, requires enough memory to hold the whole model at once. Sixty-four gigabytes is useful; 128 GB opens the door to much larger, more capable models.
That local-running goal is the whole point of this product category. When an AI model runs on your laptop or a small desktop on your desk, your data never leaves your home. No cloud server sees your financial records, medical notes or personal emails. For anyone handling sensitive information, that matters.
Mini desktop PCs are entering this space too. Both the Acer SFF RTX Spark and the Asus ProArt Mini PC are roughly Mac Mini-sized boxes offering the same RTX Spark chip and up to 128 GB of memory. Lenovo also announced the ThinkCentre X Ultra, which swaps Nvidia's chip for AMD's Ryzen Max+ Pro 495 and also reaches 128 GB. That machine starts at $3,699 for its base configuration.
What will these machines cost?
Nobody has confirmed RTX Spark laptop prices yet. The ThinkCentre X Ultra's $3,699 starting point is the clearest signal available. A 128 GB MacBook Pro currently costs $6,139, so the floor on high-memory AI machines is already high.
Other RTX Spark laptops confirmed for this autumn include the Dell XPS 16, Asus ProArt P16, Microsoft Surface Laptop Ultra and the HP OmniBook X 14, the only 14-inch model announced so far.
Battery-life figures have not appeared yet. Using a combined chip rather than a separate graphics card typically means better efficiency, but real-world numbers are still to come.
Common questions
Do I need one of these machines to use AI?
No. For everyday tasks like writing help, image generation or chatting, a web browser and a free account on any AI service is all you need. These machines are aimed at people who want to run large, private AI models without relying on an internet connection.
What should I watch for before buying?
Wait for confirmed prices, battery-life test results and independent benchmarks on real AI workloads. The spec sheet looks strong, but how a chip performs in a hot, thin laptop chassis under sustained load is a different question from what the core count suggests on paper.
