Microsoft is going to slow down Windows 11 later this year – but it’s for your own good

With the release of an update to Windows, there are generally a few things that people hope for – problems to be fixed, feature to be added, and performance to be improved. But with Windows 11 25H2, Microsoft is introducing a feature that actually reduces performance.

Strangely enough, this could be a good thing, particularly for laptop users. The reason is that this performance reduction comes as a result of a new feature called User Interaction-Aware CPU Power Management – which may or may not be AI-driven.

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Microsoft is yet to make a big fuss about this new feature, but we can be confident that it is currently destined for inclusion in the upcoming Windows 11 25H2 update because it appears in the Dev build of the operating system at the moment.

The feature is something that should not impact on computer usage in a negative way – performance should not be reduced while you’re in the middle of something. Rather this is a power management feature that kicks in when Windows has not been used for a while, reducing performance to reduce power consumption. It is not clear whether this will be a laptop-specific feature, but Microsoft talks about improvements to battery life that should be noticed. There is no reason, however, that the same performance and power consumption reductions could not be applied to the desktop to help cut electricity bill.

The release notes for the Windows 11 Dev Build read:

We’re introducing User Interaction-Aware CPU Power Management, an OS-level enhancement that helps reduce power consumption and extend your battery life. After a period of inactivity on your PC, Windows now conserve power by automatically applying efficient power management policies. This happens seamlessly to save energy while you’re inactive, with full performance instantly restored the moment you get back to it. It’s another way we’re working to make your Windows experience both responsive and energy-efficient!

Microsoft is making no specific claims about how much of a reduction in energy consumption users can expect, but it does add a “your mileage may vary” caveat:

Please note: Actual savings depend on device segment, power mode and whether you’re plugged in or running on battery, according to manufacturer-defined Processor Power Management (PPM) settings.

Although there is no mention of AI, but the “User Interaction-Aware” part of the name certainly opens up that possibility.

Image credit: Panuwat Dangsungnoen / Dreamstime.com