Latest clue indicates Windows 11 24H2 significant AI update nearing launch

Microsoft is getting ready to release a major new update for Windows, possibly named the “Windows 11 2024 Update”. The release is believed to be closer as Microsoft is preparing builds under the codename “ge_release,” which stands for Germanium.

While there have been speculations that the next Windows operating system would be called Windows 12, various references and sources have suggested that it could actually be “Windows 11 2024 Update” based on the Germanium (24H2) platform release.

Microsoft follows a sequence of codenames based on elements from the periodic table for its Windows updates. Previous codenames have included Cobalt (21H2) and Nickel (22H2). The recent update “23H2” had been based on the Windows 11 22H2 update codebase.

Based on the series of Windows releases, the next update will be Germanium (24H2).

External Microsoft watcher Xeno has already identified references to Build 27547 from the internal development branch, and these internally-tested changes will eventually be part of the Canary channel as Build 26xxx.

There’s been much speculation about whether the next big Windows release will be called “Windows 12,” but there’s no official confirmation yet. It is possible that the next update will be the “Windows 11 2024 Update (24H2).” Panos Panay, the previous head of Windows and Surface at Microsoft, has left the company, and the new leadership seems to be taking their time to bring out a brand-new Windows version.

It is likely that in 2024, Microsoft will introduce new AI features to Windows 11, and a larger platform upgrade such as Windows 12 could follow in 2025.