Microsoft has finally admitted why Windows 11 needs to use less RAM, and it comes down to something everyone buying a PC in 2026 already knows: memory is expensive again. Pavan Davuluri, Microsoft’s Windows chief, said it clearly: “I do think memory is top of mind for us right now in the industry, especially as we look at the rising cost of memory for computers across the board. For us, as a Windows team, we have clear efforts around driving better utilization of memory.” Microsoft has now made “memory optimization for 8GB and above” an official Windows priority for the rest of 2026. Davuluri says the work is happening across the memory manager, memory compression, and the frameworks that sit on top of Windows. “We do definitely have work when it comes to compressing memory and making sure we’re more efficient on the platform,” he said. Microsoft is trying to make Windows take memory only when a capability is actually being used. “You only take the memory cost as and when you use the capability. Otherwise, the base system gets a little bit more efficient across the board.” I’m glad Microsoft is reducing Windows 11's memory management, WinUI 3, WebView2, and Chromium efficiency, and hopefully, one day, Microsoft will also fix its own web-based apps...