Hudson Valley appears to be the Windows 12 codename

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Microsoft is currently preparing for the next significant iteration of its operating system, which is anticipated to be named Windows 12. Brad Sams, a journalist known for his coverage of Microsoft, revealed on his podcast that the corporation has intentions to launch Windows 12 in 2024. It will be around three years following the introduction of Windows 11. The codename for the new operating system is Hudson Valley, while Windows 11 is codenamed Sun Valley.

Hudson Valley is a region in New York State known for its scenic scenery and historic sites. Perhaps Microsoft chose this name to emphasize the beauty and innovative side of the upcoming version of Windows.


Microsoft has not yet officially announced a new version of Windows. However, the company has already shown off a prototype of a new Windows desktop interface that could be part of Windows 12. In an image shown at Microsoft Ignite in October 2022, you can see the following changes:

  • A floating taskbar that does not take up the full width of the screen.
  • A floating search box, centered at the top of the screen.
  • System icons (such as the notification area) are displayed in the upper right corner of the screen on top of the desktop background.
  • Weather and other information from "Widgets" is displayed in the upper left corner of the screen.

In addition, Microsoft has announced several times that Windows 12 will heavily use AI to help users in various tasks. For example, the system will be able to analyze user behavior and suggest appropriate applications and settings.

Windows 12 is expected to be a free upgrade for Windows 11 and Windows 10 users. However, it will introduce even higher system requirements that its predecessor.

System requirements change

As reported by deskmodder, the RAM requirement for Windows 12 may be increased to 8 GB from 4 GB. Also, it may be optionally require a Pluton chip for specific tasks and editions. Pluton is a security processor that is integrated directly into the main processor of a device, such as a computer, tablet, or smartphone. It is designed to provide a hardware-based root of trust, which helps to ensure that a device's security features are tamper-proof and secure.

So, Microsoft intends to keep the existing TPM (Trusted Platform Module) requirement. The change in RAM could be related to the  CloudPC service that streams the OS from the cloud. Meanwhile, there are no known alterations to the current processor requirements.

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Author: Sergey Tkachenko

Sergey Tkachenko is a software developer who started Winaero back in 2011. On this blog, Sergey is writing about everything connected to Microsoft, Windows and popular software. Follow him on Telegram, Twitter, and YouTube.

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